Batman Arkham City: Reconstruction
by batman4life
Summary: From the ashes of Arkham emerges a menace more deadly and destructive than ever before, and with it, a new wave of evil arises to challenge the fallen city's guardian angel. Fueled by a toxic rage, the growing threat will prove to be the Dark Knight's greatest challenge, as to conquer this menace, he must first learn to conquer himself, before its too late. Rated T for Teen.
1. The Plant Queen

_"The Plant Queen"_

_Gotham City_

_Arkham City (Now Closed Down)_

_Gotham Cathedral_

_Present Day_

_11:04:56 P.M_

The sound of police sirens echoed throughout the vicinity of Arkham City, or rather, the remains of Arkham City.

A fourth of Gotham's esteemed GCPD police force converged at the now destroyed bridge that overlooked the now dilapidated and decimated Gotham Cathedral, comprised of several police cars, emergency ambulances, and SWAT trucks. Their uniforms were tattered and their faces were riddled with fatigue and apprehension.

Amongst these men stood Commissioner James Gordon, the lead officer and heart of the GCPD. His grey hair, very indicative of the fatigue and stress that came with his job description, was practically conspicuous in the moonlight. In one hand he held a field radar, where he was constantly barking orders, and in the other, a personal cellphone.

"Look, my order still stands. Hold the position, but do not engage. I repeat, do not engage. Keep a line around the gates, and keep free of the snipers. This is the first cease-fire we've had so far, no need for it to go to waste. If Ivy decides to attack, we need a good eye to take down her weeds," he instructed to the field radio.

Resting his forearm on the low wall overlooking the nearby Gotham Cathedral, he narrowed his eyes gazing at the now floral-infested Gotham Cathedral. The church itself was an ecosystem, with an exotic and quite peculiar collection of plants growing around and underneath it. Gnarled roots grew out of the graveyard that surrounded the church, breaking through the gravestones and entrenching themselves in the ground. What looked like giant, serpentine vines slithered around the exterior of the church, the vines the sizes of adult whales. A greenish aura permeated the air around the cathedral, indicative of a certain eco-terrorists florokinetic abilities.

"_Yes sir_," came the response, before the reception turned to static.

Suddenly, he felt a rapid vibrating on his thigh, and without hesitation held the cellphone up to his ear.

"_Dad?_" came a worried voice.

"Barbara! God, its so good to hear your voice again!" he breathed, relieved at the sound of his daughter, Barbara Gordon's voice.

"You too, Dad! I heard there was trouble still in Arkham City, and called soon as they put me through the line. What's been going on?" she asked.

"Too much, to be honest. First, we had to suffer through hours of the media breathing down our backs because of the whole Strange situation, and I'm sure Mrs. Vale had a field day over that. Then, we spent the next week cramming every single inmate and his dog into temporary holding cells until Blackgate could be rebuilt. Things were going pretty good, until Harley Quinn escaped."

"_Quinn? Wasn't she Joker's girlfriend?_"

"Widow now, as she keeps reminding us. She took Joker's death harder than anyone else, went even crazier that usual, if that was even possible. Crazy woman gathered what was left of Joker's men, and staged a three-day stand-off on the Steel Mill, Joker's old territory. We tried sending strike teams in, but she was more prepared than we gave her credit for. It wasn't pretty, but thanks to Batman, we managed to stop her," he reported.

"_Thank God!_" she breathed, relieved.

"Don't thank Him yet!" he chuckled weakly before continuing. "We managed to subdue Harley Quinn, but that was only the beginning. In the hours since Quinn's arrest, we've had more break-outs than ever, especially from super-criminals. I'm starting to wonder if there'll ever be an end to this nightmare."

"_So who's out there now? Scarecrow? Killer Croc? Calendar Man on his off day?_" she smiled sarcastically.

"Worse. Poison Ivy," he told her.

"_Not that overgrown weed!_" Barbara exclaimed.

"Somehow Ivy's gotten loose again, and she managed to seal herself into the church. It all went down a couple of hours ago, back when we thought we had the situation in control. Ivy was sealed within a bio-containment cell in the old Wayne Courthouse, at least that's what we thought. Somehow, she escaped during the siege on the Steel Mill. We've got the perimeter covered now, but she's got leverage. The Arkham staff was still inside, including the reporter Vicki Vale and Mayor Sharp. We need to stop her before anyone gets hurt!" he explained, his voice strained yet firm.

"_Mayor Sharp? How'd he get trapped in Arkham City?_" Barbara asked, faux puzzled.

"Would you believe Sharp had as much to do with this massacre as Strange did?" he smirked sheepishly.

"_Sharp? But how, I thought he was still back at his mansion in Gotham City?_"

"Turns out, he was in cahoots with Strange this whole time. A blind monkey could've figured it out, what with him being the biggest advocate for rounding up all the inmates from Arkham Asylum and herding them into Arkham City. I guess he must've figured that wiping out the entire criminal populace in Gotham would do wonders for his public image, even if he had to kill off a few innocents," he sighed irritably.

"_Don't blame yourself Dad. He fooled everyone,_" she pointed out.

"Thanks Barb, but this isn't over yet. Now, we've got to clean up his mess, and Ivy's a threat to everyone as long as she's off her leash. We've got to take her down, before she can take down the entire infrastructure like she did the asylum," he said.

"_You sure you can handle her Dad? You do remember what happened last time, right?_"

"Last time, Ivy caught us with our guard down, and took advantage of the situation at Arkham Asylum. This time, no more distractions. We're taking her down, even if we have to kill every single weed within a thousand mile radius," he assured.

"_What about Batman? Shouldn't he be in on this?_" came Barbara's worried voice.

"Last I had contact with him, he was still trying to round up Deadshot. Somehow, he got loose out of his cell, just like the rest of the loons. It still doesn't make sense how so many inmates could escape their cells almost one after one. It's so..._systematic_," he continued, as he himself pondered his own question.

"_Hang on! I've got someone calling on the other end. But promise me you'll be home safe whenever you get done cleaning Arkham City!_" she urged.

"I promise! Stay safe Barbara, and stay inside for the time being. We can't demolish this place until we're absolutely sure every single criminal and super-criminal is accounted for, and I promise you that with the combined help of the GCPD and Batman, that won't be long. After I finish up here, I'll be home before you know it," he instructed, a weary yet confident look on his face as he gazed at the former prison.

"_Will do. Love you Dad._"

"Love you too Barbs. Stay safe!" he warned, as she signed off on the other side of the connection.

The battle-hardened yet tired Commissioner Gordon reluctantly lowered his cellphone lifting his finger off the button. As he lowered the phone, he sighed as premonitions of his unit flashed before his eyes. His voice was nearly hoarse from repeatedly barking orders into the radio. His eyes were weary, probably from lack of sleep.

As he walked up to the rotted bridge railings, he pressed his binoculars up against his eyes, using them for a bird's eye view on the situation unfolding down below.

He narrowed his eyes suspiciously as the attack team maneuvered their way over to the metal gates, their weapons at the reader as they stepped over the already dead bodies formed in her wake. His eyes followed the lead officer who was at the forefront of the operation.

His veteran instincts told him that it was a trap, yet he refrained from pulling back the officers, knowing that he would jeopardize their lives even more by turning their backs on Ivy.

Keeping his eyes glued to the binoculars, he still felt a sense of guilt as the assault team continued nearing the church, knowing full well what her plants were capable of doing, especially to humans.

"I would've figured you'd have turned in for the night, Jim," came a gruff, almost equally weary voice from behind, momentarily breaking his conflicted mind.

Almost naturally, he turned around, an evident smile on his face as he spotted the Dark Knight himself perched atop an adjoining fire escape to a nearby building. His cape flailed aimlessly in the wind, as his metallic suit soon caught the attention of every single personnel atop the bridge.

His suit was riddled with bullet holes and slash marks, but the same resolved look remained unchanged on his face. His signature yellow utility belt shined brightly in the dark sky, the home to many of his gadgets and gizmos.

Dropping down from the metal railing, he landed a few feet away from the weary yet always thankful Gordon, who crossed his arms sheepishly as Batman retracted his cape and rose to his full sight. He first glared at the wounded officers being helped to the emergency vehicles to receive medical attention, then nodded at Gordon respectfully.

"These days you can never tell day from night. It's all one big nightmare that never seems to end. I just try not to think about it," he greeted in return.

"Deadshot was up to his own tricks, not a surprise really. Working with a psychopath like Strange was low, even for him, but trying to off political prisoners, even after the fact, was just beneath him. All it took was a crash dummy right in the line of fire for me to triangulate his position on a rooftop. I took care of the rest," he reported, his voice growing ominous as he uttered the last few words.

"You always do," Gordon smirked.

"Something's going on here Jim, and I have a feeling that this goes way beyond Arkham City. Super-villains breaking out of their containment cells, countless officers left laying in their wake, not to mention the political prisoners still stranded in Amusement Mile and the Industrial District. I know who _should_ be behind this, just don't want to believe it," he told Gordon, who nodded.

"Scarecrow," Gordon stated grimly, the mere sound of his name obviously evoking some deep-rooted memories for the Dark Knight.

"The last time I saw Crane, he was being ripped in two by Killer Croc, and that was when he was still _above_ the water. If the Scarecrow's out there, still alive, I doubt he'd be starting trouble now," he nodded.

"Even if he is, Arkham City's already a lost cause. Once we finish tying up loose ends here, I'll personally see to it that this prison gets blown to hell where it belongs," he said, ending the sentence with a rare smile that briefly cracked his glum exterior.

"We can discuss Crane later. But for now, I think there's a reason why a giant vine is wrapped around the Gotham Cathedral," he said, nodding towards the giant, serpentine vine that constricted around the bell tower, snaking around the exterior with the force of a boa constrictor.

"_Poison Ivy_," he answered less than enthusiastically, before leaning on the bridge's low wall that overlooked the church.

His fists clenched, knowing that the vengeful eco-terrorist, with or without Titan, was a force to be reckoned with.

"How'd she get out? I thought she was under maximum security at the courthouse," Batman demanded, narrowing his eyes irritably at the thought of once again going up against the toxic temptress.

"That's what we all thought. A few days after Protocol Ten, Ivy came out of her lair more pissed than ever. When Strange's forces bombed the Amusement Mile, they must've bombed Ivy's plants, which didn't bode too well for her. She was a few seconds away from drowning this bridge and the old GCPD building, before we _barely_ managed to sedate her. I'm telling you this because now that she's free, she'll do a lot worse," he sighed.

"When did you find out she was free?" he asked.

"Three hours ago. After Harley Quinn was apprehended, we sent a convoy to evacuate Isley to a temporary holding facility outside of Arkham City. When they arrived, they found the entire team, unconscious on the floor, along with her cell wide open. Since the brunt of our efforts was focused towards bringing in the last of Two-Face's men in the museum, we couldn't pursue, but now, we don't have a choice," he explained.

"The logic is there, but you forget that the biological properties of the cell suppresses her meta-abilities, completely. There's no way she would've made a tulip flower stand straight, much less seduce the guard," Batman reminded him.

"No wonder they call you the detective," Gordon smirked humorously before continuing. "Even if you are right, we can deal with that once she's detained in a bio-cell. After escaping, we think that she went back to her lair for an hour or so, before trying an all-out assault on Arkham City. Luckily, we managed to cut her off before she could get in Park Row. Just when we were about to corner her, Isley sealed herself within the church. Now, the only thing stopping us from blowing the place sky high is the hostages," he said.

Batman raised an eyebrow, piqued by this new revelation.

"Cash and his team were still in when she took over?" he said.

"Unfortunately yes. Once we got Vale out, I had Aaron and his men attempt a few more rescue missions on the Industrial District and pull out as many political prisoners and doctors still in there. Once Quinn's men took back the streets, I told him to hole up in the church until it was safe for our guys to evacuate them safely. Now, Ivy's in there. It was my fault that I got those innocent civilians held captive by that crazy bitch, and now I need to get them out," he sighed remorsefully.

"Don't blame yourself for something that would've been worse. Had they been out on the streets like that, Quinn's men would've torn them apart. What's the situation now?" he continued.

"We've sent in strike team after strike team, but no results. Everytime we try to rush her, her weeds come out of the ground and take my men out before they can even get a foot in. We can't just bomb the place because of her hostages, and I doubt Isley would be willing to listen to reason at this point. We haven't had contact with her hostages since she arrived, and our window for hostage negotiation closed the minute we realized we were talking to an insane eco-terrorist who thinks trees are her children," he explained.

"That's because she doesn't want to kill the hostages. Ivy wants me," he said.

This time, it was Gordon who raised an eyebrow quizzically.

"Pamela's arrogant, delusional, but she's not stupid, Jim. She knows that the only thing stopping you from launching a missile strike on the church are the hostages, and she intends to keep that ace in the hole. She's also using those hostages as a means to get to me, thinking that I'll come willingly once she puts innocent people in front of her," he explained almost casually.

"And you'll walk right through the door, won't you?" he smirked, crossing his arms.

"I have to. I can't risk the lives of innocent people, especially those who have nothing to do with this. I'm the only one who can stop her," he shrugged almost nonchalantly.

"Let me guess, all of this span out of what happened out of the asylum, didn't it?" Gordon deduced.

"More like what _didn't_ happen. With Titan running through her veins and her plants stronger than ever, I'm sure the last thing Ivy wanted was to lose to a so-called 'meatsack.' Her ego wouldn't allow that, and now, she's trying to get a rematch by using innocent lives as leverage in doing so. I figured this would happen sooner or later, but what especially sickens me is that Ivy would use innocent bystanders to get to me," he explained matter-of-factly.

"I'm surprised she stayed dormant so long to begin with, but with Strange and the other power players of Arkham City out of the picture, she figured that now would be the opportune chance to get your attention," Gordon also interjected.

"Whatever the case, it ends now. I'm shutting down Ivy before she can endanger more lives in Arkham City," he stated.

"I'd be more worried of getting an opportunity to take her down. You and I both knew what she's capable of, especially what with what happened last time," he warned.

"At the asylum, she hit me with her best shot, and I won. Now, it shouldn't be much of a problem. She's cut off from her main source, and still recovering from the Titan overdose. With any luck, she'll come in willingly. But if it has to come down to it, she'll come out in a full body cast before she can endanger any more innocent lives," he nodded, cracking his knuckles.

"I wouldn't underestimate her if I were you. She's dangerous with or without Titan, but I'm sure you already know that. I'll tell my men to hold their position until you finish, well, doing what you usually do," he said.

"Yes, tell your officers to continue forming a perimeter. If bad comes to worse, you need to be ready to take her down if she leaves the church and not me." he agreed, stepping over the bridge railing.

"Be careful Batman. We've already lost enough good men tonight. No need adding you to that list," Gordon smiled, before pressing his field radio against his ear and barking ears.

"Wait until my cue," he instructed one more time. With that, he nodded before leaping off the bridge and extending his cape, gliding towards the church.

Retracting his cape as he landed on the ground, he stood up to his full height and surveyed the territory. He narrowed his eyes as he gazed almost remorsefully at the dead bodies littering the church courtyard. There were some inmates, but most of them were police officers, their guns still held in their hands as they died. They were all staring open-eyed at the sky, as their bodies lay perpendicular to each other. A greenish liquid bubbled out of their lips, as they decorated the ground, indicative of Ivy's toxins.

A surge of anger quickly surged throughout his body, as he once again saw the handiwork of Ivy's crusade against humanity, and the casualties sustained along the way. Walking almost casually towards the front door, he banged on the door loudly, making sure to get Poison Ivy's attention.

Immediately, Ivy's 'helpers' exploded out of the ground, the deadly vines that often acted as her henchmen. Pigmented a floral green, the vines displayed unusual animal-like characteristics as well as protective instincts, especially for their mother. They surrounded the battle-tested Dark Knight as soon as his knuckles clang against the door.

He remained stoic even in the face of certain annihilation, even as the vines continued to surround him.

"I'm here Ivy," he suddenly said directly to one of the vines.

They instantly retreated back into the ground as he uttered the statement, leaving the church virtually unguarded.

Without even hesitating, he opened the doors and entered the lair of Poison Ivy.


	2. The Plant Queen: Part 2

As soon as Batman entered, he was hit in the face with a face-full of humidity, the air practically slapping him in the face. He knew how Ivy's plants functioned best in these extreme temperatures, and this was only an example of her so called "paradises."

He was greeted by another trademark of Ivy's hideouts, the atmosphere. He briefly glanced up at the ceiling when a single vines maneuvered around the ceiling above him, causing him to glance up briefly at it. He also noticed how the metal blast doors that had originally guarded the church had been literally ripped off their hinges, and were now on the floor, vines wrapped around them.

The ceiling was completely covered with a mossy canopy, a plethora of vines draped over the ceiling. The vines were looped down several feet, a few meters above his head. That was very indicative of the entire church, now revamped with a floral motif.

He paused for a moment just to survey the setting ahead of him, a breathtaking yet sinister creation of hers alone. Tongues of moss dripped down from the walls, decorating them a mossy light green. As he stepped forward, his foot was nearly caught in a narrowing crevice, prompting him to instinctively step back as yet another vine snaked across the spot he just stepped on.

The floor was a broken crevice, with colossal roots breaking through the concrete and settling on the ground. The brown roots littered the floor as they circled around the decayed floor tiles. He could spot some vines slithering across the floor as he walked past them, disappearing into the widened cracks forged by the roots.

As he wandered through the literal concrete jungle, he noticed six man-sized cocoons unnaturally slumped against the wall, a greenish goo emitting from the protective shells that encased the captives. It's outer covering was almost translucent, but obscured by a greenish liquid protruding from its pores. As he investigated one of the cocoons, he could barely made out an inmate, and judging from his uniform one of Penguin's thugs.

His eyes were closed in a sleepy, almost dazed manner with a cloud of pink dust, indicative of Ivy's pheromones, surrounding his entire body. Reaching out to the cocoon, he managed to obtain a sample of the mysterious gel by holding his finger underneath it, the liquid dripping on his glove. Just as he was about to analyze the liquid, a sudden rumbling beneath his feet caused him to stop his investigation and direct his attentions to the front of the church.

Resting his eyes on the center of the sanctuary, he finally managed spotted Ivy's hostages, the former Arkham City medical staff, still in uniform. The hostages were all lined up at the back of the church, their backs against the wall and hands most likely restrained by vines. The look of utter terror on their eyes told the entire story.

First, he spotted Aaron Strange, easily discerned by his indignant expression as well as the other two officers assigned to protect the medical squad, Eddie Burlow and William North. Thankfully, he managed to spot a look of relief on their faces as he came into view.

He then nodded to some of the political prisoners held captive by her vines, which tightened around their ankles and mouths. He then turned to the now former Mayor of Gotham, Quincy Sharp. He was also restrained, but the look on his face seemed to be of utter resignation.

With the hostages now in view, he then focused on confronting the plant queen herself, Poison Ivy.

Almost coincidentally, he spotted two inmates in their Joker and Penguin uniforms, respectively, as well as one TYGER guard gathered in a worshiping position surrounding the hidden cocoon. Like others whom Ivy had entranced with her pheromones, a cloud of her "love" dust gathered in a thick aura around their heads, symbolic of Ivy's control and utter dominance of them. As he approached them, he instinctively braced himself for combat, but that seemed to be the furthest things from their minds. Instead, they gazed up at the cocoon, awaiting the reveal of their goddess.

Just as he was about to call out for Ivy to reveal herself, the seductress herself beat him to it.

He could feel a loud rumbling at the front of the sanctuary, quite akin to the sound produced by an active earthquake. But instead of a seismic wake, the blanket of green vines subsided, revealing a large, plant-like cocoon. It was covered with vines and moss, but the most striking thing was what was inside of it.

As if on cue, the cocoon split open, the chamber dividing in two separate halves.

He soon found his eyes focusing on the toxic temptress, Poison Ivy. Easily tracked by her erotic laughter, the villainess was seated on her throne, composed of large leaves and vines. The plethora of green had assembled itself into a large throne for Ivy, the vines coiled around the throne like snakes.

The botanic beauty herself, Ivy, was laughing rather erratically, perhaps at her spellbound captives, who had knelt beside her in a circle, their heads bowed almost in worship. A green cloud emitted from their heads, the result of the pheromones which had locked them in a deadly infatuation with her. Her voice echoed throughout the church, a booming god-like cackle which reached all four corners of the sanctuary.

He could feel the pheromones circulating through the air, trying to melt his iron-hard willpower into unrequited lust for the seductress. He couldn't help but squint his eyes in order to keep himself centered, her pheromones giving off a sort of 'goddess' aura. It became hard to focus on what Ivy truly was, but he managed to fight back the pheromones.

_"I love you Ivy,"_ one of the inmates smiled almost in a zombie-like way, still entranced by her pheromones. His voice was dreamy, like he didn't know what he was saying.

_"You're my everything Ivy!"_ came another inmates reply.

She merely continued to laugh at the inmate's subconscious declarations of love for her, welcoming their professes of love for her.

"_You can poison me anytime Ivy_," came the TYGER guard's reply, his voice equally as dreamy.

_"No, I love you more Ivy!"_

_"I'm nothing without you Ivy!"_

_"Marry me Ivy!"_

"No need to fight my loves! There's enough of me to go around!" came her reply, amused by their infatuation.

The emotionally charged replies kept on coming much to her utter delight. Her laughter seemed to permeate the air with an unnatural sense of control, as if she was the perpetual puppetmaster and they her infatuated puppets.

Undeterred by this display, the Dark Knight continued his walk, casually passing through the entranced men.

Dressed from head to toe in a floral green, her alluring, promiscuous nature had certainly been reflected by her attire. Her official _Arkham City_ prisoner uniform was shed in favor for a more seductive look, only retaining her standard issue jacket. She wore no pants, instead revealing her long, shaped legs and bare feet, symbolizing her connection with the Earth. Ironically enough, her toes were adorned with red nail polish, perhaps to make her seem more "human." Her groin area was covered with a leafy green foliage pantie stretched to fit her hips, and her _Arkham City_ jacket was largely unbuttoned, only keeping two buttoned at the middle to contain her cleavage. Sleeves rolled up, her fingernails were also adorned with red nail polish.

Despite her human like appearance, Ivy was clearly more plant than woman. Her genetic coding had been infused with plant DNA, causing her body to emulate a more plant-like appearance. The newly created chlorophyll running through her veins had caused pigments in her body to color her skin a leafy green from top to bottom. She had a slender, slightly athletic build, with her hips curved in the coveted hourglass figure. Her poison-laced lips were a crimson red, embedded with a toxin capable of killing with only lip contact. To cap it all off, her hair was a fiery red, not bound by any material to allow it to flow more freely, creating a more natural, untamed look. Her eyes of course, were a light green.

To add to those bizarre features, vines had latched on her body, maneuvering in such a manner as to resemble body tattoos. They seemed to be already embedded within her skin. Covering her body in a darker shade of green, the vines only seemed to emphasize Ivy's connection with nature.

Few men have been able to walk up to Ivy and managed to walk away using sheer willpower, but Batman just happened to be in the minority. Her pheromones did enhance her appearance, but even Batman had to admit that Ivy's curvaceous yet toxic body could ensnare almost anyone, male or female. Her strategically contained cleavage only helped with the tease, and her tendency to barely clothe herself made her an irreversibly, polarizing figure amongst all men. Her wild, untamed appearance mixed in with her sexualized look made Ivy the ultimate temptation, the one that is truly worth dying for.

Finally, Batman came to a stop a few yards away from her leafy throne. She seemed too preoccupied with the inmates to even notice or acknowledge him.

Suppressing her laughter at least for the moment, she gestured it forward with her right hand. A lone vine, apparently summoned by the botanic beauty, snaked around her forearm. Displaying an uncanny act of animal life, the vine still coiled around her arm leaned in like it was going to whisper something in her ear.

"Yes dear?" she prompted, ignoring the Dark Knight and instead focusing on the apparently anthropomorphic vine.

Instead of responding with an audible response, the vine merely maneuvered its body around, a unique form of body language that Ivy apparently understood. The vine gestured wildly at Batman for a second before coiling around her arm again, Ivy purred, letting the vine wrap around her forearm as a means of comfort. She massaged the vine with one finger, calming it down.

"Yes my child, I know he's here. I know what he did to our family last time. But I won't let him hurt you again," she assured, her voice suddenly more motherly.

Then, she turned back towards the Dark Knight, who was casually observing the conversation. Ivy made full eye contact with Batman before continuing.

"I'll kill him first. I'll kill _all_ of them for what they've done" she suddenly snarled. Her voice echoed throughout the church. Sensing that its "mother" was troubled, the vine instinctively coiled around her waist, a symbolic form of protection.

Ivy merely stroked it with her palm before glaring at Batman, a glint of hated evident in her eyes. It seemed as if the plants also senses the animosity between the two, and began to retreat back into the ground. It seemed like her mood had changed, evidenced by her body language which seemed to be radiating with anger.

Evidently sensing Ivy's anger, her entranced prisoners stood up, glaring at Batman threateningly.

"No no, it's quite alright boys. I'm sure I can handle our curious little visitor," she smiled, waving them away. Reluctantly the three backed away, Batman shooting them warning glances as they left.

"Come to gloat dear? It only seems natural that your human arrogance would win over, only know that your taunting will only make your imminent demise more..._fulfilling_," she sneered, now addressing the battered hero. Her voice echoed throughout the church.

"It's over Ivy. Strange is dead," he told her, his voice emotionless and stoic.

In response, the botanic beauty merely snickered, merely emphasizing her apathy for humanity. Suppressing a laugh, she flickered back a strand of her fiery red hair before resting her eyes on the caped crusader.

"Shame, he would've made excellent fertilizer for my babies," she purred, a hint of slight disappointment in her voice.

"Ivy, the men who brought you here are gone, either behind bars or soon to be. All inmates are being relocated to Blackgate for the time being. Come with me, and I'll see to it personally that while you get escorted back to your cell there, your _babies_ will be well taken care of," he assured.

In response, the voluptuous villainess merely let off a disdainful cackle, tilting her head backwards as she laughed.

"It would seem that way, wouldn't it Batman? That everything is over now that Strange is dead? You and your kind never cease to amaze me. Still, it was a good effort, but I'm afraid love, it's not over until you are," she sneered, flashing him a wide grin.

"Enough people have died over the past few days. Your vendetta against me will only result in more innocent blood spilled," he said, nodding towards the restrained Arkham staff.

"They had it coming darling. Ask me how many of my children they killed without so much as a second thought, and I can tell you triple digits worth. And besides, this is _personal,_" she sneered.

"What happened at the asylum Ivy, was nothing against you or your _kind_. You were a threat to Gotham, and you had to be stopped," he replied stoically.

"_By destroying my children? They did nothing to you!_" she suddenly screeched, her eyes now glowing with rage.

Batman remained stoic throughout her outburst, completely composed as she snapped at him.

"You're right Ivy. Your children did nothing to deserve it. They only destroyed an island full of people, half of them innocent might I add, and tried to take the lives of thousands in Gotham. So what?" he replied sarcastically.

"You and your _precious_ Gotham," she spat angrily. "You claim to protect the innocent citizens of Gotham yet you condone their actions, their _crimes_ against nature. They're the same meat-sacks who have murdered my children, raped them of their potential and prosperity, and most important, plundered them of their natural-born lives. They would've done the same to my babies in Arkham had I just stood aside and watched."

"Those were the same people who rescued you from the greenhouse at the asylum Ivy. The same people who nursed you back to health," he pointed out.

"Don't patronize me Batman. You have no idea what brutality you and your kind are capable of. After the asylum, I was locked in here with the other meat when I had every intention of being alone with my babies. Strange threw away the key, and hoped that I would either be torn apart by their filthy inmates, or would better yet be riddled with bullet holes by his little security force. My babies cried out for days, crying out for their mother. Everyday I listened to their cries, yet felt helpless to do something, anything. So I merely bided my time, waiting until the perfect opportunity to emerge from my old garden, and decide to make a new one out of the remains of Arkham City," she snarled venomously.

"Ivy, _Strange is dead!_ There's no point continuing your vendetta against a dead man. His men are gone, and Arkham City will be demolished in a few days. I highly suggest you take my offer," he repeated, his patience gradually thinning.

"Offer? Of what, denying my children the vengeance they've been so rightfully entitled to for so long? Sorry to disappoint, but I'm afraid the death of one man can not undo the thousand more sins that mankind has committed against Mother Nature. Strange may be dead, but his work will go on through the hearts of you meat sacks. Its all a cycle dear, and he was merely a spoke on it," she sneered.

"It's a cycle that can, and _will_ be stopped Ivy. I'll make sure of it," he assured.

"Will you now? You would save my 'children', you, the same man who had every intent and purpose of wiping them from existence? You have destroyed my garden at the asylum, and now you seek to destroy my new crop. Your lies always amuse me Batman, but what will amuse me more, is watching you die as I destroy your beloved Gotham right in front of you," she shot back.

Instinctively sensing hostility, the Dark Knight decided to be more direct with his demands and expedite the conversation before it escalates in her favor.

"Grudges against me won't help you Ivy, and it certainly won't help your plants. Surrender now, or I'll have to be a bit more…_persistent_," he replied.

"Sorry love, but I'm afraid that your cute attempts at negotiations will get you nowhere, except perhaps to an early grave," she smiled, stroking the vine once again.

He almost bit his tongue, but his patience had officially worn thin.

"Your actions tonight could have caused widespread death and destruction. Innocent people would've died thanks to you. Thousands more had I just let you run loose in Gotham. You need to surrender," he pressed.

"You're right, Batman. I've been a _bad girl_. Are you going to spank me?" she purred seductively, causing him to grit his teeth irritably. He knew that she used banter to her advantage, in order to gain an edge over her opponent.

"Arkham City is no longer operational, and Strange has been dead for weeks now. What do you possibly think to benefit from all this madness?" he demanded, regaining his cool composure.

"A statement perhaps. A warning to you humans that we are growing, and that your futile efforts at oppressing us will only result in your utter extermination. And while I'm at it, I might as well kill you darling. As I've told you long ago dear, Mother Nature does not forgive, nor does she forget!" she answered.

"Did you forget that you were once one of those humans, _Dr. Isley_?" he pointed out, using their previous encounters as ammunition for his retorts.

"_Don't call me that!_" she snapped suddenly.

He patiently waited until her brief mood swing subsided, and she returned to her usual playful demeanor.

"You should know by now Batman, that I am no longer addressed by my slave name. But still, regrettably so, Mother Nature was once confined within the flesh and blood of you meat-sacks. And while Pamela Isley was too weak to deal with the injustice surrounding her, Poison Ivy was born. Just like all my babies darling, I merely..._evolved_," she smiled.

"I'm sure," he scoffed.

"You see love, while you were out there trying to vanquish the sins of your kind, I was here with my darlings, nourishing them, protecting them. The inmates did become quite bothersome after a while, so I had to dispose of them. After all, my babies did need proper nourishment," she explained, pausing to relish in Batman's infuriated snarl at her implication.

"Still, there were ones who chose the better part of valor, the ones who chose to accept our love," she added, gesturing to the entranced inmates surrounding them.

"Of course, they were always those who did _not_ choose to accept our love," she also added, gesturing to the captive doctors, who were still bound by their wrists. A vine slithered around Cash's neck, causing him to squirm uncomfortably.

"Let them go Ivy. This doesn't concern them. This is between me and you," Batman ordered, using her words as a gateway to his demands.

"Now why should I do that love? They were the ones who so vehemently tried to exterminate my babies, they deserved what they got. And they will share the same fate as you," she sneered.

"How do you plan on doing that Ivy? You think your 'babies' can save you this time? You may have your weeds Ivy, but you of all people, should know where I keep mine," he pointed out, gesturing to his utility belt.

"You arrogance never ceases to amaze me Batman. You may have your little 'toys', but I've been breeding a different kind of green, the next evolution of my garden," she smiled, flicking her wrists.

Instantly, a new vine slithered from beneath her leafy throne. Only this vine was actually different from her usual slew of vines, it was actually quite deadlier. The vine was decorated with a rough skin, quite akin to that of a rattlesnake, but what was most striking about it was its exterior. It was covered by a gauntlet of five-inch long green spikes, each blade curved and its point dripping with a greenish chemical. Its very tip was also covered by a long blade.

"We will continue to evolve Batman, for it is the natural order of evolution. And you, your bodies will be torn apart by the ravages of time and left behind. Speaking of, you're not looking so well, are you dear?" she laughed, referring to his battered appearance, his suit nearly in shreds and an assortment of cuts and bruises decorating his face.

"This is nothing compared to what I can, and will do to you," he retorted, but Ivy paid him no heed, instead gazing intently at the vine.

She gestured towards it, laughing as it pecked at her palm. She then patted its head.

"I spent weeks scouring over Arkham, scavenging for samples of my more forgotten babies who had been buried under this metal prison for so long. It was no easy journey, but by its conclusion, my garden had expanded tenfold. I grew the toxins and poisons that would seep through your pathetic meat-sacks of bodies, destroying it from the inside out. My garden had flourished, and me, I grew more powerful than ever. The Titan no longer became a priority, it was only a crutch. Something I would eventually outgrow as we became stronger. After a while, I found myself not needing it, because I knew that when the time came, I would rip you apart with my bare hands," she finished, finally resting her eyes on the Dark Knight.

The vine then quietly slithered back into its hiding place.

Oblivious to her, the Dark Knight started to reach behind his utility belt, moving in such a way that not even the sharpest eye could detect. He started to unclip a Batarang from his belt, perhaps as a last resort.

"Before you do something you'll regret, I suggest you recall what happened to your babies last time. The last time you and I were in the same room like this, Isley, bad things happened _to_ you. I am telling you to stand down," he replied through gritted teeth.

"You say this as if you can stop Mother Nature dear. I suggest you also recall that even with your little 'toys', you could only delay my wrath. In fact, when you attacked my babies, you only made me angry," she snarled.

Just as she finished that, a flurry of colossal vines shot out of the ground, assembling themselves as a protective shield around Poison Ivy. To Batman's utter chagrin, these seemed to be the more developed, animalistic vines. They snaked their way around the throne, protecting their mother.

As if on cue, a distinctive clicking sound emitted from behind Batman. Out of his peripheral vision, he could spot the hypnotized TYGER guard behind him, the muzzle of a fully loaded assault rifle tapping at the back of his neck. To his right and lefts respectively, the Joker thug and Penguin thug brandished metal bats. Under his breath, he cursed himself for becoming too side-tracked, letting his guard down enough for her puppets to become viable threats.

"You don't want to do this, Ivy," he warned, slowly revealing his Batarang from his cape. Thankfully, the hypnotized thugs were too busy to even notice his ace in the hole.

"You see dear, I won't just kill you. No, that would be quite quick, and not worthy of the pain you have caused me and my children. Instead, I'll cripple you, humiliate you, break you. Once I get finished, you'll be nothing but a broken shell of a man. But I won't kill you Batman, there are worse things than death, and I intend for you to live through them. Instead, I'll have my children rip you apart limb from limb, and plant you into my garden, your pathetic meatsack of a body becoming food for my next crop of children. I'll enjoy watching you beg for mercy as I trample you underfoot like the dog you are. Then, I'll kill the other meat, Commissioner Gordon, and his men. The leftovers will become dinner for my babies. I'll destroy your precious Gotham next, and force you to watch as my children reclaim the same land that was so cruelly stolen from them so many years ago. And then, and only then, will I allow you the quick release of an easy death, but rest assured love, that it would be by my hand and my hand only," she vowed, her eyes now gleaming insanely.

Taking a quick glance around, Batman factored in the cocoons, which housed the inmates and police officers still in the brainwashing process. He then turned to the inmates, who stared at him blankly, their weapons still trained on him.

"_Ivy's little 'helpers' shouldn't be a problem, but I need to distract her first. They'll crash and burn without her_," he thought, strategically piecing together his offensive.

"This is your last chance Ivy. Stand down, or I _will_ put you down!" he warned, his eyes narrowing.

She merely laughed at his threat.

"Defiant to the end are we darling? I'll remember that when I'm-"

Before she could even finish the sentence, Batman sprung into action, gaining the early advantage. With a quickfire draw, he easily hurled the Batarang at her, the polished steel spinning in the air as it neared her throne.

She instinctively flinched, involuntarily summoning a shield of vines from her throne to assemble themselves into a makeshift shield, protecting her from it. The Batarang bounced off of the vines, but Batman paid no paid to it.

Taking advantage, Batman also threw down a smoke pellet, the grenade exploding into a dense fog as soon as it touched the floor. Within seconds, it had enveloped the caped crusader, providing an improvised cover for the Dark Knight who had been anticipating her inevitable retaliation.

With the smoke covering him, Batman easily activated his detective vision, allowing for him to spot his discombobulated opponents, the gadget highlighting the TYGER guard in red because of his weapon and the other two in blue.

Capitalizing on the situation, the ever opportunistic Batman suddenly shot his elbow up, hitting the muzzle of the assault rifle. The TYGER guard instinctively pulled the trigger, causing bullets to pepper the ceiling above.

He then spun around, grabbing the rifle by its muzzle and snatching it away from the mercenary. Now in control of the rifle, Batman slammed the metal stock right between the eyes, staggering the mercenary while he methodically dismembered the rifle, removing it piece by piece. He finished his combo with a well-timed spinning heel kick. The kick cracked off the side of his head, sending the guard face first to the concrete.

His detective vision instantly alerted him to the next target,

With one already immobilized, Batman then directed his attention to the closest threat, the Joker thug who was also discombobulated by the smoke. He wildly waved his bat around in an attempt to clear the air. The caped crusader lunged at him next easily swatting the metal bat out of his hands with a well-placed karate chop to the wrist.

In fast succession, Batman sidestepped past him, while simultaneously hooking his forearm around his neck, applying a firm sleeper hold. Batman swiftly brought down his elbow on the struggling inmate, knocking him out in one blow. The inmate's muffled grunts instantly became silenced, as the Dark Knight quietly dropped him in the midst of the smoke.

Now with only one hostile left, Batman abandoned all caution and just lunged at him.

Unlike the others though, the Penguin thug could see Batman coming, squinting his eyes to spot his shadow. He managed to swing his weapon at him, but to no avail.

Batman easily ducked the futile blow, the bat whistling through the air above him. Re-emerging right on top of him, Batman surprised him with a strong right hook to the side of the head, knocking him unconscious in one fluid motion.

The brainwashed goon crumpled to the floor like paper, his metallic bat clanging to the ground next to him.

Towering above him, Batman didn't have time to bask in his victory, if even that.

He turned around only to see one of Ivy's more developed vines lunging straight towards him, catching even him by surprise. His eyes widened in shock, he barely had time to raise a Batarang before the vine whipped across his face, sending him flying backwards.

Unceremoniously knocked off his feet, the Dark Knight involuntarily corkscrewed through the air before landing hard on his back. The momentum from the blow sent him skidding across the floor before he bumped against a gnarled tree root.

Wincing in pain, he rolled over on his stomach as he felt warm blood trickle down his mouth, and the throbbing pain that came with it. His chin planted firmly on the ground, it only took him a few moments to process the same vine lunging at him yet again, its mouth gleaming with razor sharp teeth.

Pushing himself up on both palms, he instinctively reached for his belt, and produced a steel Batarang.

Just as the vine was about to attack him again, he hurled the projectile at it, watching as the two collided in mid-air. Thankfully, the Batarang was victorious, and impaled the vine right through its mouth, one of the twin blades dislocating its entire jaw.

The vine flopped to the ground lifelessly, as he started to push himself on one knee, narrowing his eyes at the quickly disappearing smoke cloud.

The smoke dissipated into thin air just as he recovered from the surprise attack, revealing a very angry Poison Ivy.

Her once smug grin was replaced by an infuriated snarl, her poison-laced lips now seething in rage. She was now standing up, her fists clenched in rage. To her left and right respectfully, stood two monstrous Venus fly traps which had somehow burst through the ground.

"A battle against me Batman, is a battle against Mother Nature. And that is a battle you will lose, little man!" she sneered.

As if to prove her point, she suddenly extended her arms out. Vines slithered around her outstretched arms, forming a sort of protective armor over her. She let out an almost orgasmic cry as her 'babies' began to converge with her.

"I'm taking you down Ivy, one way or another," he shot back, managing to stagger to his feet, still feeling the effects of the fireball. Nonetheless, he managed to draw a Batarang, preparing to fight.

Ivy let out an almost ecstatic moan as the vines constricted around her torso, enveloping her in a mass of green.

"Come to me my loves! Come be with me! Together, we are unstoppable!" she screamed gleefully, her voice reaching almost unprecedented levels of ecstasy.

He snarled as the vines lifted Ivy into the air, the plants wrapped around her like a goddess. Levitating from the floor in a spear-eagled position, some of the vines wrapped around her detached from her skin, instead plunging into the ground.

He narrowed his eyes, knowing that this was mere theatrics compared to what came next.

Just as she said that, the cocoon on the ground rose up to meet her. It was similar to Ivy's other monster that she had created at the asylum, only that this one was much more smaller, and layered with thorns. She laughed as its two halves closed around her, swallowing her whole. Enveloping Ivy in a vine-covered chamber, the plant monster rose high above the ground, with Ivy as its captain.

_"I will crush you like the insect you are."_


	3. The Plant Queen: Part 3

If only to make the situation even more dire, the six cocoons surrounding Batman were forced open, from inside. The mouths of the envelope were pried open by the inmates within, who were apparently woken by Ivy's call to arms.

Batman scowled as the cocoons were pried open, the now almost zombie-like thugs emerging from within. Like the others, their heads were glowing with her pheromones, their movements sluggish yet brooding. They collectively moaned, their arms spreading out in a manner quite akin to a newborn child first experiencing light.

To his left and right, he could spot an assortment of thugs from Joker, Penguin, Two-Face, TYGER guards, even a GCPD officer. They all had that leafy green glow in their eyes, indicative of Ivy's control over them. Still, they managed to encircle the fatigued vigilante, awaiting orders from their "den mother."

"My loves, please welcome our dear Dark Knight to our garden. Rip him apart!" Ivy ordered from inside her chamber.

"_Yes Ivy_," they replied collectively, before lunging at Batman.

The first TYGER guard who took a swing at him ended up getting his arm unnatural twisted back before getting hip-tossed overhead and knocked out with a swift blow to the jaw. Batman's eyes darted from left to right as two Two-Face henchmen both simultaneously lunged at him from both sides. Ducking both blows, he countered each thug with a brutal backfist to the face. As they crumpled, Batman's honed instincts kicked in and he was able to sense an approaching inmate throw a punch at him from behind. Almost systematically, he both ducked the punch as well as shot back up with a brutal forearm, his elbow smashing into his face.

To his right, another thug lashed at him with a wild haymaker. Using the thug's own momentum against him, he ducked the blow while picking him up in a fireman's carry. After a second or two of lifting him, he effortlessly tossed him to the ground but not before landing a cruel side kick to his spine, only propelling him directly into the wall. He limply bounced off the wall and crumpled to the floor.

To his utter chagrin, a GCPD officer aimed a low kick at him. Under normal circumstances, he would have hesitated, but with hostages on the line, this was no time for leniency. Making sure to not use all of his power, Batman parried the kick with his own leg before grabbing his face and smashing it into his knee. A Penguin thug managed to catch him by surprise, locking a potent sleeper hold on his neck. As he flexed his muscles against Batman's neck, another Penguin thug lunged at the now "restrained" Batman, aiming a wild haymaker at him.

Before he could connect, Batman suddenly lifted both knees up to his chest, kicking the attacking thug back with both boots to the chest while simultaneously kicking off his chest as leverage to fall back on the thug from behind. Losing his balance, the Penguin thug landed on the wall, loosening his grip over him. Batman quickly capitalized with a brutal elbow to the face that would've dropped a grizzly bear.

As he slumped back against the floor, he turned to the last standing Penguin thug who groggily made his way up to his feet.

Not waiting for him to attack, Batman lunged at him, rolling on his shoulder and springing to his feet mere inches away from his face. Before he could react, the Dark Knight landed a hard head-butt on his face, before wrapping his arms around his torso, and slamming him into the ground. Grabbing one of his arms, Batman stomped down on his face, knocking him unconscious in one fluid motion.

He casually adjusted his gauntlets as he looked back at his work, six fully trained henchmen laying unconscious on top of each other.

With the last inmate finished off, he turned to the plant queen herself, who was absolutely seething at him.

"You weren't supposed to do that Batman," she pouted bitterly.

"You're next Ivy," he growled, stalking towards her angrily, his fists clenched.

"I think they'd disagree," she purred, gesturing towards the ground.

The second Batman took his next step, his honed instincts kicked in. He could feel an earthquake rumbling underneath his feet, and he knew all too well what happened next.

CRACK! With a cry, the vigilante leaped backwards, performing an agile backflip in the process. Landing on his shoulder, he managed to roll to his feet, a Batarang in one hand.

Mere seconds afterwards, a flurry of vines exploded out of the ground, the animalistic vines converging into a thorny mouth at its center. Erupting from the floor like a volcano, the assortment of vines circled around Batman, the vines dancing around his body. It started to resemble some sort of tree stump, with its center being covered with thorns. Without warning, the vines lunged at him, the jagged edges aimed at his torso.

Seconds before throwing it, Batman pressed a red button at the center, activating some kind of mechanism. Hurling it at the plant monster, he started to roll backwards, but some of the vines reached him first, ensnaring him around the ankles and wrists. Grunting, he fell flat on his back, the vines starting to wrap around his body.

"You're ours now Batman," Ivy purred seductively, laughing hysterically as the vines started to drag him into the mouth.

Just as she said that, the Batarang lodged into one of the vines exploded. The monster emitted a animalistic shriek as the explosion knocked it backwards. Almost subsequently, Ivy let out a shriek, her empathetic connection with the plants once again emphasized. The vines quickly dispersed in the midst of the blast, weakening its foundation. The vines loosening around him, he drew another Batarang and began slicing the now limp vines off his body.

Quickly rising to his feet, he turned to Ivy, who was absolutely fuming behind her chamber.

"You'll pay Batman," she growled irritably.

"You first," he snarled, drawing a Batarang.

Her words ever prophetic, a lone vine shot out of the ground, wrapping around his ankle. Yanking him off his feet, the Batman fell flat on his face as the vine dragged him backwards, his fingers clawing at the ground.

"You of all people should know darling," she started, perhaps pausing for dramatic effect.

Just as she said that, another plant monster burst out the ground, this one even larger than the first. Even more vines wrapped around his body, slithering around his waist and legs.

"Kill one of us, and two more shall take its place," she grinned.

This time however, the vines managed to wrap around Batman's wrists, preventing him from using his belt. Struggling valiantly, he soon found himself entangled within Ivy's monster, unable to escape its thorny wrath.

He grunted as one of the vines wrapped around his neck, strangling him. Now gasping for air, he tried to free one of his hands to free himself, but to no avail.

Batman continued to struggle as the vines continued to constrict around him, tightening their grip as Ivy laughed at his plight.

"After we're done choking the life out of you Batman, we'll destroy your precious Gotham!"

"Never!" he vowed, his resiliency being his only weapon at this point. The vines had now tightly wrapped around his ankles and wrists, rendering him completely helpless to escape.

Now with its prey in its grasp, the vine monster began to reel Batman in like a fish, the vines dragging the Dark Knight along the floor. His struggles were becoming more and more feeble, as the vines almost forced him into submission, the thorns pricking at his suit.

"As you humans grow weaker, we will grow stronger!" she sneered, pleased at the plants utter dominance over Batman.

With no utter alternative, Batman wrestled for control over his left hand, trying to desperately maneuver it over to his utility belt. Gritting his teeth, he finally managed to touch one of his pockets, just as the vines dragged him into the mouth of the monster.

"I hope you'll provide proper nourishment to my children Batman!" Ivy cackled, as he disappeared within its mouth.

Suddenly, a grappling hook shot out of the mass of plants, the hook embedding itself within the above gargoyle. The hook propelled the battered Batman up and away from the clutches of his own demise, his hand almost limply latching onto the grappling gun.

Beaten but unbowed, the Dark Knight emerged from the hostile vines, his suit nearly torn to pieces but intact. As he shot up through the air, he turned back down to the vines who continued to pursue him, trying to wrap around his ankles. The vines remained persistent, but the Dark Knight was one step ahead.

Just as they started to touch his heels, he hurled another Batarang down below him, but not before dialing a quick succession of dials on the projectile.

With a clank, the Batarang embedded itself in its mouth, a familiar beeping sound emitting from the Batarang.

"NOOOOO!" she wailed, as if she sensed what was happening.

But not even the plant queen could interfere, as the Batarang exploded not too soon after she uttered those words.

The vines tried to scatter but to no avail as the explosion caused the monster to dissipate, the now scorched vines flailing around before dropping to the floor. Trails of smoke emitted from it, as the vines.

In the midst of it all, Batman managed to grab onto the gargoyle, wrapping his forearms around it. He took the opportunity to get in some much needed breaths, his body starting to deflate out of pure fatigue. He didn't get much grip on the gargoyle, before Ivy started to speak again.

"I'll feed your limbs to my babies for that Batman!" Ivy vowed, pointing her fingers at the recovering Batman.

As she said that, two vines exploded out of the ground, aiming at the Dark Knight.

Cursing under his breath, he glided off the gargoyle just as the vines spearheaded it, tearing through the stone where he was just at and demolishing the statue. His cape extended in a symbolic bat-like form, he glided back to the ground nearing Ivy.

With a grunt, he managed to land on the floor, pounding the ground with his fist in a crouched position as he gazed up at the plant queen, still shielded by her protective shell.

Drawing his signature Batarang, Batman narrowed his eyes as he focused on the chamber.

Ivy sneered while pointing her fingers at him, summoning two vines to rocket towards him. Now forced to change plans, he quickly hurled the Batarang at the vines, rolling to his side as the Batarang cleanly decapitated both plants in one motion. He rolled to his feet with another Batarang drawn, but for once, Ivy was one step ahead of him.

A fireball hit him mere seconds away, connecting with his upper torso. It instantly knocked him back to the ground, smoke now emitting from his suit as he instinctively rolled on his stomach.

"You'll have to do better than that, Batman" Ivy taunted, her face gleaming insanely as he skidded across the floor.

Groaning, he clutched his sides, still singing from the blast. Luckily, his body armor lessened the damage, but only to a degree.

Pounding his fist on the ground in frustration, he glared at the twin Venus plants guarding Ivy before an idea formed in his head.

"_Got to take out those two before I get to Ivy_," he thought to himself, his fingers closing around another one of his makeshift gadgets.

"Face it darling, my babies know all your toys, all your moves. You're predictable meat-sack, and that's why you will lose!" she taunted.

"Keep telling yourself that, Ivy," he shot back, rising on both knees with his electrical control gun in both hands.

He pressed the trigger, releasing a electrical discharge directly at the Venus fly trap. As soon as it connected, the fly trap convulsed violently as discharges surged through its body. Between convulsions, it started to leak out fluids.

"Nooo!" Ivy cried, pressing her palms against the chamber as the irony of her words began to come back to haunt her.

Finally, it exploded in a loud bang, the remains splattering against the wall.

Turning on his heel, he fired another discharge towards the second Venus fly trap, watching it too implode with similar symptoms.

He then turned towards Ivy's pod, preparing to fire an electric charge at the chamber.

"Don't let the big bad Batman hurt me, my children!" Ivy cried out.

But just before his finger could touch the trigger, a vine out of nowhere suddenly whipped the gun out of his hands, causing it to spiral to the floor, and out of his reach. The vine then proceeded to lash at him, landing a stinging blow right to the face, sending him flying backwards.

As he rolled over on his belly, he managed to still dispatch the vine with a Batarang before it could continue to attack him. The two halves of the vine landed innocuously on the floor, as he grounded himself on his knees and palms.

"You're running out of tricks darling!" Ivy laughed girlishly.

"_I've still got a few up my sleeve_," he thought defiantly, his eyes instantly darting up to the stone gargoyle conveniently hovering about Ivy's protective shell.

Before she could continue to taunt him, he rolled to his feet with his patented Batclaw in his left hand.

Just as she started to summon more of her babies to attack him, he quickly fired the hook directly at the gargoyle. By sheer luck was it able to latch on to its head just before reaching its limit. With the gargoyle hooked, he then began pulling the line back, trying to rip the statue of its hinges.

Ivy merely smirked, oblivious to what was happening to her. And that was the way Batman wanted her, oblivious and pre-occupied. With both hands on the line, he was starting to see cracks on its legs, signifying that he was making progress.

"You think that your 'toy' will save you, little man?" she purred arrogantly.

Finally, he managed to pull the stone gargoyle down, much to Ivy's unsuspecting regret.

"You're starting to a-" she started to say, just before the gargoyle collided with the chamber pod.

Caught off guard, Ivy mentally lost control of her creation as the impact from the collision sent her headfirst into the chamber wall. The plant writhed in pain, uttering screech after screech as visible scratches started to well up on its sides as well as top. In its blind confusion, it managed to bounce off of the wall, sending debris flying down to the floor.

Finally, without a captain to steer it, the monster collapsed on the floor, crushing Ivy's throne in the process. Her body slammed against the chamber as the collision rocketed her forward. The vines that were trapped underneath its massive statue feebly tried to escape, but to no avail.

Wiping a line of blood off his face, Batman shelved his Batclaw before approaching the grounded Ivy, his hand once again reaching into his utility belt. After a dramatic pause, he revealed his Explosive Gel gun, the item of Ivy's undoing back at the asylum, and just as much here.

Hastily yet cautiously approaching her chamber, he couldn't help but hesitate after gazing at her limp form, her back slumped against the wall almost unconsciously. But considering how much of a threat she was, it was simply no time for alternatives.

Sighing, he began to spray the wall in the form of his iconic bat motif, his hand gliding along the chamber as the gel began to stick to the pod.

The noise awakening Ivy, she instantly opened her eyes as an extreme sense of _deja vu_ began creeping up her spine. Lunging at him futilely, she pounded at the wall, almost pleading with him.

"No please! Don't do it Batman!" she pleaded, her voice nearly cracking.

Backing away, he raised the gun as he prepared to press the detonation button, only for the absolute worst-case scenario could materialize.

A lone vine suddenly grabbed his wrist, preventing him from pressing the trigger and ending Ivy's threat for good. His eyes widening in surprise, he tried to pry his hand lose, only for another vine to wrap around his neck. Strangling him, the two vines succeeded in preventing from from harming their mother.

Another vine wrapped around his waist, as well as his ankle. Finally, they managed to lift him above the ground, before throwing him back. As he was hurled back, he could feel the Explosive Gel flying out of his fingers.

He landed hard on his back, dust scattering as his head bounced off the concrete. As he was skidding across the floor, he spotted the trifecta of vines still lunging towards him, and with his quickfire draw, shot three Batarangs out of his waist in quick succession, each one severing a vine. Cursing between breaths, he managed to push himself up to a fetal position, only for his eyes to spot the Explosive Gel button, just inches away from him.

Desperately, he made a lunge for it, only for irony to rear its cruel hand. A larger vine instantly pounded it into the ground, crushing the gun in one fell swoop. His eyes widened in shock for the first time, now realizing that his most potent weapon against Ivy was now in scraps before him. Using his gauntlet claws to slice it in half, he gathered the now destroyed remains of his gadget, the weapon now meaningless to him, as well as the supply of Explosive Gel now splattered on the floor.

"Awwww, looks like I broke your toy," came Ivy's taunting sneer, now biting through his skin.

Seething heavily, he turned to see Ivy, who had taken advantage of the sudden change in momentum and willed the plant monster to rise again. Her pitiful whimper had vanished, replaced by a biting sneer that festered in his soul like a cancer.

"Now, what are you going to do, little man?" Ivy purred, once again reminding him of his mistake. She once again lifted herself out of his reach, forcing him to think of other ways to defeat her.

"Unlike you Batman, I have evolved since our last confrontation. I'm wise to your tricks, as well as your little 'playthings.' You'll have to try harder than that if you want to get to me darling!" she mocked.

He glared irritably as he was once again being drove back by Ivy, who had, to her credit, managed to turn him back at every turn. She had been more prepared, always ready with a counter to his attack, a defense to his offense. He hated to admit it, but she had him pegged, at least, for now.

Ivy noticed his apprehensive facial expression, still marred my fatigued, and capitalized on it.

"Oh, don't tell me the big bad Batman is getting tired? Perhaps darling, you finally realize that with all your muscle, all your intelligence, you are simply a man trying to fight with a goddess. Your pathetic meat-sack of a body betrays you love; I can see how tired you are. Maybe its time for you to finally accept that you've been beaten, and perhaps, I'll grant you an quick death," she declared triumphantly.

As much as he hated to admit it, Ivy was right. She could only move her finger and the weeds would attack him. He was practically running on adrenaline at this point, and fatigue was starting to build up on his joints. He couldn't overcome her by sheer strength, but like many others, he could outsmart her.

"I've still got enough strength to take you down, Isley," he shot back, causing her to erupt with laughter.

He didn't have long to dwell on the sentence, as she symbolically raised her arms, causing an even more massive Venus fly plant to erupt from the ground like a volcano. The creature roared to life as it exploded out of the floor, nearly knocking the Dark Knight off his feet. He could barely spot his electrical charge gun now definitely out of reach as the breakthrough of the ground caused it to slide towards the wall.

Twin branches peeled off of its skin, each one brandishing foot-long spikes decorated on its sides. As it extended to its full height, it maneuvered its snake-like body in front of Ivy, protecting her. A green liquid seeping from its mouth, the plant monster immediately lunged at Batman.

Instinctively throwing himself backwards, Batman landed on his shoulder and rolled to his feet as the Venus fly trap snapped at the ground where he was just standing at with its jagged teeth.

A Batarang in one hand, he seamlessly threw the projectile at the roaring beast. To his utter chagrin, the Batarang bounced harmlessly off its thorny sides.

If anything, it only seemed to infuriate the plant monster, which then snapped a thorny vine at him. He managed to throw himself to his right, but not before the vine managed to just barely clip him on the shoulder, digging its razor sharp thorns into his shoulder blades. Wincing, the blow caused him to lose balance, and he landed on his other shoulder, still managing to roll to his feet. He briefly looked at his shoulder, a wicked-looking scar stitched into his suit. And that only happened because the vines just barely managed to _touch_ him.

"Has it finally dawned on you Batman, that you simply can't measure up to my babies?" Ivy beamed, laughing at his plight.

He didn't have much time to ponder her words, as the plant monster suddenly plunged two more branches which had peeled off its skin into the ground. As they traveled underground, his build-in suit sensors would detect the buildup of movement right beneath him, and he knew what to do.

Batman threw himself backwards just as an earthquake rumbled beneath his feet. Rolling on his sides, he narrowed his eyes as a plethora of underground vines exploded out of the ground mere feet in front of him. They quickly lashed out at the spot where he was just standing before hastily retreating into the ground.

The plant monster then lifted its makeshift branches, instead snapping them at his feet. The thorns attached to its branches literally detached from their source, now used as projectiles against the resilient Batman.

Cursing silently, Batman was forced to roll to his sides to avoid the deadly round of makeshift arrows, the thorns being hurled at him like arrows. He maneuvered his body in mid-air to avoid the deadly projectiles, the thorns whistling past his face as he flew through the air. Unfortunately, he caught the tail end of the projectile just as his shoulder hit the floor.

Rolling to his feet, he winced loudly as he yanked out the thorns now partly embedded in his sides, instantly causing a surge of pain that coursed through his battered body. He numbly felt the spot where the object had first penetrated his body, biting back a yell through gritted teeth.

Snarling, he threw the thorns away and instead clutched his sides, managing to crawl to his feet.

"Did that hurt love?" she chided, relishing in Batman's plight.

"_Not as much as what I'm going to do to you_," he thought angrily, the words almost escaping from his mouth as he stared at the plant monster.

"Make him suffer, my child," Ivy commanded, pointing her finger at Batman.

Obeying its mother, the plant monster lashed its branches at Batman, once again unleashing another wave of thorns.

In a stunning act of agility for a man his size, Batman leaped backwards in a fluid back flip, curving his body in mid-air to make sure that his hands hit the ground first. After landing on his feet to evade the initial bombardment, he rolled backwards to avoid the next wave of projectiles.  
He winced out loud as a thorn barely managed to clip him on the shoulder, the blade tearing clean through his suit as it just made contact with his bare skin. Clutching his shoulder, his eyes darted from left to right until he saw the the closed area where the Arkham staff had performed surgery and an idea instantly formed in his mind.

Before the plant monster could throw another volley at him, he clambered to his feet clumsily, breaking into a frenzied run towards the wall.

"You thinking _running_ will save you, my little Bat?" Ivy laughed, as he continued to run towards the wall. Finally, in one fluid motion, he kicked off the floor and wrapped one arm around the top, pulling himself up and over the wall.

"Let's get the coward out of his hiding spot, shall we?" Ivy smiled, prompting the plant monster to dive directly at the wall, its jagged teeth aimed at him.

Just as the head of the monster neared the wall, he started to run towards the bare wall behind him. Before he could get two steps away, the monster crashed through the wooden wall, wooden splinters sprinkling the air. He continued to run nevertheless, with the monster not to far behind. He purposely slowed down the pace so the monster could literally be inches away from snaring him with its teeth, only part of his plan.

Before it could grab him, he suddenly bolstered himself on the wall, literally running up the wall as the monster instead hit the wall.

Batman kicked off the wall, allowing for him to have the perfect advantage over the monster, defeat from above.

Just as the monster recovered from headbutting the wall, it had another thing coming as the always prepared caped crusader landed on its neck, wrapping his arms around its neck for support.

Realizing the added weight, the plant monster shrieked in pain as it tried to shake him off, wildly moving back and forth and left to right. Batman could feel its thorny body pricking his suit, but he refused to succumb to it.

With a grunt, Batman managed to stay glued to it, keeping a tenacious vice grip around its neck despite its "protests".

"What are you doing?" Ivy cried, as it retreated back into the open sanctuary.

In order to keep a more solid grip over it, Batman drew a Batarang, stabbing it directly into its neck. It roared in agony as he impaled the weapon through its flesh, only augmenting its struggles.

Using the Batarang as a crutch, he managed to drag himself atop its head, right where the important organs were. His legs were constantly swinging on and off its body, but he managed to hold on. Spitting out a glob of blood, Batman cocked his fist high above his shoulder as he prepared for the _coup de grace_.

"No...stop!" Ivy shrieked, instantly realizing what was happening. She wildly gestured her arms at Batman, commanding a group of vines to start to warp around his ankles and wrists.

But before the vines could get a good grasp on him, Batman plunged his fist directly through its flesh, really sinking his arm in it to get a good grip on its vital organs. He could feel its inner liquids soaking his arm, but he finally relented when he felt his fingers wrap around something circular.

Wincing heavily, he retracted his arm, pulling out the heart of the monster as well. He gazed almost absent-mindedly at the orb as it dissolved in his palm, emitting a wail from the monster as well as a subsequent cry from Ivy.

Jumping off the wounded plant, he landed roughly on the ground as the monster continued to writhe, twisting its body as its fluids leaked down its skin. Rolling to his feet, he glared at the dying creature.

Finally, it collapsed to the ground in a twisted heap, wailing one last time before its head splattered against the floor. Ivy stared in utter disbelief as her ace in the hole, her last pawn, fell victim to the Dark Knight.

Brushing some fluids off his shoulder, he turned to see Poison Ivy, who suddenly clutched her stomach in pain, almost leaning against the pod. Her playful, seductive grin was gone, and so was her smug laughter. Her face was now livid with rage, and she wore an impregnable scowl. She pounded the pod angrily as she glared at him resentfully, her eyes gleaming with fury.

"My plants are endless Batman! You've only killed one, I can summon thousands with the snap of my fingers. You cannot beat Mother Nature!" she declared defiantly, her voice a seething snarl.

"Maybe not, but I can beat you, Isley," he said.

"I'd rather die than go down at the hands of you, Batman," she spat in turn, before gesturing at him, commanding even more vines to burst out of the ground.

"You're finished Ivy!" he snarled, reaching into his belt and pulling out his last resort, a freeze grenade. He wrapped his fingers around the circular object as he prepared to throw it.

Ivy's eyes widened, and tried to use her vines instead as a protective shield. But alas, it was too late.

With a cry, he hurled the grenade at her protective shell, before the first of her vines could reach him.

It latched on to the pod, an icy blue gas starting to emit from its container as it did so. Her eyes widened in fear as she gazed at the grenade.

"Please Batman...don't...not my baby," she pleaded, her seductive purr absent in favor of a begging whimper.

She pounded weakly at the chamber as the grenade prepared to detonate. He couldn't help but feel a syringe of pity towards the eco terrorist despite her crimes against humanity, but this was no time for hesitation.

CLINK! In one fell swoop the grenade exploded, covering her protective chamber in an icy shell. She staggered backwards as the ice wave obscured the chamber, clothing it in a ghostly white. Ivy was barely visible in the icy prison she was now entombed in, and sooner than later she was feeling the effects of it.

"W-w-what is th-i-i-i-s?" she stammered, the temperatures within her chamber instantly reverting to sub-zero. Ironically enough, her "protection" against Batman had now become her tomb, and the fact that she barely had any clothes on only amplified that fact.

"You should've done your homework, Ivy. Plants can't survive under sub-zero temperatures, they're practically _naked_ in the cold. In fact, the only way for them to possibly endure it would be by adapting, but in your case, I say that time's run out on you," he told her, relishing in the horrified look that she shot him.

Clutching her sides, Ivy began vibrating violently, her body unnaturally convulsing as the cold started to get to her. Her bare legs trembling, she was too cold to even concentrate on summoning her plants, her only advantage. She even breathed out a ghastly white, instead of her usual pink pheromones.

Slumping back against the wall, her entire body shook as the temperatures dropped to unprecedented levels. She tried crossing her arms together, but to no avail. She was trapped inside her own creation!

"N-n-o! You….you c-c-can't beat me. It's imp-p-possible," she stuttered, still feeling the effects of the freeze grenade.

"What's wrong Ivy? You're not looking _well_," he smirked.

Shivering heavily, she staggered backwards, her lips quivering incessantly.

"_Now or never_," he thought to himself.

"No, wait Batman! Don't hurt my baby!" she pleaded, just as she started to collapse to the ground. She could barely feel her legs, and the look of defeat on her eyes told the entire story. Despite her predicament, she pounded the chamber with her palms, trying to will the creature to break through the icy prison. Unfortunately for Ivy, the plant creature was just as frozen as her.

Still clutching his arm, he slowly walked towards her. Ivy desperately gestured at him, but she was too cold to even concentrate. Her fingers trembled, unable to keep still. She soon found herself powerless to stop what was happening.

"Y-you can't stop us Batman! Kill one of us, and more of us will take its place. Besides, what do you think that you can do to me in here, protected by my plants? You can't hurt me!" she claimed wildly, mentally willing the chamber to retreat out of his range despite her shivers.

In one hand, Batman drew one last Batarang, before dialing a combination of commands on its center for the _coup de grace_.

"I'm counting on it!" he growled, cocking his arm back to throw the Batarang at her.

"_No_," she whispered hoarsely, as he threw the Batarang at the frozen chamber.

With a clink, the Batarang embedded itself within the ice, the red button now blinking as it prepared for detonation. She hopelessly touched the spot where the Batarang had penetrated the ice, and closed her eyes.

"You brought this on yourself, Ivy," he replied simply, as he mentally counted down until detonation.

BAMMMMMM! The explosion sent the chamber lurching backwards violently, Ivy being slammed backwards as well. The plant monster itself wailed in pain as the impact sent it slamming into the church organ, the rubble created from that falling on the ground. It then slammed into the wall, emitting another screeching cry.

"Noooooo!" she wailed incessantly, as her creation literally came tumbling down, repeatedly smashing against the wall until it was too weak to support itself.

As soon as it slammed against the church organ, the sharp pipes punctured several openings on its rear. It wailed in pain, involuntarily slamming against the wall again, slamming Ivy's head into the chamber. Knocked out thanks to the blow, Ivy couldn't control the creature, which was close to dying.

Batman shielded his face from any falling rubble as it continued to slam into the wall.

Finally, the plant monster uttered one more shrill shriek before starting to collapse to the ground, for good this time. Smashing into the wall one last time, it descended down to the ground, the chamber heading directly towards the fatigued Batman, the now limp Ivy still inside.

His eyes widened with shock as he realized this, and after a few tentative steps back, suddenly sprang into action. Grunting, he threw himself backwards just as the chamber crashed into the floor.

Rolling backward on his shoulder, he continued to edge back until it came to a complete stop, just a few yards away from him. As fluids seeped through cracks in the chamber, Batman couldn't help but sigh, almost out of relief.

With Ivy finally out of the equation finally, he turned to the captive medical team, who were evidently watching the entire confrontation play out.

"You alright?" he said grimly. Most of them stared at him in open awe, still dumbfounded by the duel while Cash nodded in appreciation.

He then turned back to the fallen chamber, his eyes managing to spot Ivy, who was barely able to crawl out of the wreckage. The impact must've woken her up.

He sighed perhaps out of pity for the former botanist as she maneuvered her body out of the broken chamber, her hair a wild mess and numerous scratches and bruises decorating her body. Clutching her sides with one hand, she managed to pull herself out of the wreckage nevertheless.

While the humidity of the sanctuary had warmed her back to normal, he could still spot some shivers running through her body.

Almost instinctively, she scurried over to the fallen plant monster which had been defeated by the Dark Knight, her motherly tendencies kicking in. Almost dejectedly, she held one of its vines in her arms, just staring at it blankly.

Still wincing loudly, the battered yet victorious Batman managed to clamber to his feet, his knees still threatening to collapse. Clutching his bruised sides, he cursed himself for underestimating the eco terrorist, letting his overconfidence once again get the better of him. He had been expecting a much more subdued, weakened Ivy, but instead, he was taken to his physical limits. If anything, Ivy was anything but subdued, the evidence of that claim still embedded within his abdomen. He yanked out another spike which had lodged itself in his side and tossed it away after realizing that.

He leaned on the wall for support until he managed to get his wind back. He was thoroughly fatigued, and the events of the entire night had worn on him both physically and emotionally. Still, his sheer instinct fought through the fatigue, and he was once again victorious in stopping her.

Finally, he pushed off of the wall and began to walk towards the equally battered Ivy, who was still tending to the limp vine.

Despite his stoic exterior, his heart still felt pity for the scientists formerly known as Pamela Isley. Despite her "mental" deficiencies, Pamela Isley didn't deserve any of what was happening to her. Then again, a lot of people didn't deserve any of this. But for the sake of the "greater good," it was simply something that had to be done.

"It's over Ivy," he said simply, still feeling the effects of their battle. As he neared Ivy, he noticed how she ignored everything that he was saying, instead gazing blankly at her now destroyed creature.

"You murdered them. You killed them all," she finally whispered hoarsely, her hands still gripping the limp vine. Her voice was no longer the seductive purr, or even the overconfident sneer, only a dejected, almost broken murmur.

Batman cautiously walked over to her, his body absolutely beaming with pain.

"You left me no choice. You had hostages Ivy, you had to be stopped," he pointed out, trying to calm down the volatile Ivy.

"My children…..my _family_. You murdered them," she continued, almost as if she was oblivious to what he was saying.

"They would've murdered innocent people," he pointed out, but he knew that she was in the midst of one of her mood swings. At this point, there was no negotiating with her.

"You murdered them," she repeated, her voice becoming almost emotionless.

"Ivy…Pamela," he repeated, trying to soothe her as he got closer.

"You killed them. You...all of you..you're all monsters," she whispered, still clutching the vine.

But oblivious to the Dark Knight, Ivy had one more ace up her sleeve.

Hidden from his view, she broke up one of the foot-long thorns still attached to the creature. She grasped the blade tightly, almost playing possum as Batman got closer.

Finally, within talking distance, Batman started to reach out to her, trying to comfort the seductress.

"It's all over now, Pamela. It's time to go back to Blackgate!" he assured her, before starting to place his hand on her shoulder.

"They did nothing to you…THEY DID NOTHING TO YOU!" she suddenly screamed, turning towards him, her eyes livid with rage.

Before Batman could react, the now feral Ivy lunged at him, aiming the blade at his torso.

His body battered but his instincts as sharp as ever, the Dark Knight easily sidestepped the desperation slash, the knife slashing through the air where his torso had been mere seconds ago.

Ivy's surprise attack had not come without consequences, as her flow of momentum had betrayed her. She lost her footing, instead staggering forwards, and as always, Batman capitalized.

Without hesitation, he grabbed her wrist, sharply twisting it behind her back as leverage against any comebacks. The villainess cried out in pain, her arm now scraping against her back. Out of desperation, she struck at him with her other free hand, her next mistake.

Batman easily caught the blow in mid-air, instead pinning both wrists together. Now with the upper hand, the caped crusader further imposed his dominance by twisting both arms upward, one of his more useful disarming techniques. By exerting constant pressure on her arms, Batman has just taken control of the confrontation.

She tried to squirm out of his grasp, but his grip was ironclad, near unbreakable. Anytime she tried to run awayh, he simply yanked back hard at her shoulderblades, causing her to wince in pain.

"No man is immune to Poison Ivy, darling, not even you! Perhaps I can still change your mind!" she pleaded, her words punctuated by loud winces as he continued twisting her arms.

"Not a chance, Pamela! You're going back to Blackgate!" he stated simply, continuing to apply pressure.

Tenacious even in defeat, Poison Ivy struggled against his grasp, twisting and thrashing her body back and forth. Despite her resilience, Batman held firm, maintaining an ironclad grip on her wrists. As he continued to twist her arms, Ivy only struggled more. He grunted as she desperately landed a lucky blow in the form of a headbutt to his mouth. The blow, while momentarily stunning the Dark Knight, only seemed infuriate him.

Sheer desperation kicking in, Ivy attempted to kick out Batman's knee in a last-ditch attempt to trip him, but he expertly positioned himself to her left, causing her kick to go awry. In response, he continued twisting her arms towards her shoulderblades, resulting in a pained cry from the plant queen.

"Treating a woman with such ferocity, such brutality, Batman? And here I was thinking that you were more _evolved_ than the other meat-sacks," she spat resentfully, her body still thrashing about.

"Man or woman, all criminals are the same, Isley. Maybe you should've thought of that before you decided to put innocent lives in danger," he reminded her.

Soon, the sheer power of Batman eventually won out, and he capitalized on the leverage, pulling her arms up to her shoulder bones, causing her to shriek out in pain. He noticed that she was still trying to use the blade, if only to get a lucky shot in his mid-section. Thanks to his insightful positioning, there was no way for the red-haired vixen to maneuver the blade over to him.

"Drop it!" he growled viciously in her ear, his mere tone indicating that he was willing to drop her at this point.

Reluctantly, Ivy did drop the weapon, the blade clanging against the floor. Now with her only weapon gone, she had no other options but to succumb to his control.

Still squirming against his grasp, Ivy did everything she could to escape his grip, but it was not enough. Sensing that she was being overpowered, Ivy started to let her body go limp, instead trying to conserve her energy. Her struggles became more reticent.

Batman then landed a sharp kick behind her knee, forcing her to kneel. With the superior position, Ivy simply had no choice but to fall down to both knees, her arms now completely restrained.

He could feel a wave of resignation, almost defeat radiating from her body, her arms no longer thrashing as violently. This was perhaps the equivalent of Ivy realizing that she had no chance of physically overpowering the Dark Knight.

Nonetheless, the struggling began to subside, and Batman was able to relax his grip on Ivy, who finally succumbed to his hold.

She gazed desperately at a scorched vine feet away from them, smoke still dissipating over it.

"Come to me, my children. Kill the evil Batman! Kill all of the meat-sacks! Kill them all!" she cried, tears welling in her eyes as the vine remained motionless, as did all the other plants in the church.

Sighing over her cries, he produced a pair of handcuffs from his utility belt, finally able to apprehend the feisty fatale.

But oblivious to him, Ivy managed to drop something out of her palm just before he could handcuff her. A _seed_.

She flickered her eyes over it to make sure it landed on the ground, as her fiery hair dropped down to the floor, briefly shielding it from Batman's vision. It was a light brown, seemingly innocuous and thus oblivious to the victorious Dark Knight.

Without hesitation, he pinned both wrists together with one hand, using the other to loop her hands with the bat-shaped restraints. With ease, he was able to lock both hands, releasing a sigh of almost relief as he heard the familiar click.

The same click that Ivy was all too familiar with, as she glared back at Batman, her eyes glittering with the utmost disdain.

"You think this is over Batman?" she snarled angrily, her eyes gleaming with tears.

"Maybe not. But you are," he replied coldly.

"You'll pay Batman. You'll pay for hurting my babies. I'll enjoy burying you in my garden, along with your precious Gotham!" she spat resentfully.

"Get up!" he growled, unceremoniously yanking her up to her feet. He couldn't help but wince while hoisting her up, his ribs still stinging from the last blow. Still, he kept a strong grip on her arms as he directed her towards the exit.

"You of all people darling, should know that these bonds will not hold me," she added, a hint of desperation in her voice.

"I'd like to see you try Ivy," he said, a smirk carving into his battered face.

She glared at him resentfully, as he pressed his fingers to his cowl.

"Gordon, Ivy's been dealt with. Everyone here is okay! You and your men are clear to enter," he informed the Commissioner, before turning towards Ivy, who seethed at him.

"My babies will grow again Batman! And when they do, I'll make sure you die _very_...unhappy," she vowed.

"I'm sure," he replied sarcastically, just as the doors to the church burst open.


	4. The Plant Queen: Part 4

It was all over just as fast as it had began.

Ivy's henchmen, the inmates who she brainwashed, were now being helped into stretchers and being carted out of the church. The hypnotized guards were also being treated for their wounds. The captured officers were now experiencing their first taste of freedom in hours after being freed, and were now sharing conversations with fellow GCPD officers.

The plants who were vanquished by Batman were now dealt with accordingly, the vines being scooped up and dropped into wastebaskets and the larger monsters being sliced up into smaller, more compatible pieces for travel. The rest of the residue was vacuumed and subsequently dumped into larger containers. The Arkham staff doctors were also being tended to by GCPD officers, offering them hot cups of coffee and other food items to calm them down after such a traumatic experience.

Batman oversaw all of this with a satisfied yet emotionless facial expression, his lips occasionally curving into an encouraging smile towards the doctors who were being helped out.

Despite his stoic composure, he couldn't help but feel a brief moment of pity as the now handcuffed Mayor Sharp was pushed towards the door escorted by Eddie Burlow and William North. His facial expression told the entire story. Defeat. Grief. Regret. Remorse perhaps by letting his political agenda pollute his moral judgement and cause him to order the death of hundreds, even innocent people.

Still, Sharp maintained his composure after locking eyes with Batman for a second before glancing down sadly, now finally forced to come to terms with the casualties of his "solution". After pausing for a moment at the front door only to receive resentful glares from GCPD officers, he exited the church and subsequently made his way to an armored truck

Seconds later, an Arkham City doctor stood next Batman as Sharp disappeared from sight.

"Of all the lunatics and freaks in Arkham City, you'd think that Sharp would be the last person to orchestrate all this mindless chaos and destruction. Heck, he even got my vote!" the doctor commented.

"People do things, horrible things, in order to forward their own agendas. He probably didn't even realize the consequences of his actions before they were already in motion," Batman replied.

"The other doctors wanted me to thank you for you know, saving our butts again. Figured you could use a little appreciation," he offered.

"You were all innocent people, who Ivy used as bait to get my attention. It was the least I could do," he assured.

"Joker, Penguin, Poison Ivy, Two-Face, all in one month. What next? Scarecrow?" he sighed.

"You're safe now. This nightmare is over for you," he assured.

"Yeah, but what about for you? I'd imagine you of all people would've at least taken the night off, you know, after what happened with the Jok-" he started to say.

"I'm fine, but make sure everyone else is," he stated abruptly, cutting him off mid-sentence.

The doctor merely nodded before returning to care for the other officers.

A hand patted him on the back, prompting him to turn to see Aaron Cash, who greeted him with a sheepish smile, an assault rifle resting on his shoulder.

"Suppose I owe you my life twice now, huh?" he smirked

"Let's just call it even," he replied.

"Seems that you've been doing my job better than I have tonight. I couldn't even protect the team from Quinn's men," he sighed.

"Don't blame yourself, Aaron. You were outnumbered, and exchanging bullets with those monsters would've only started something that would've ended in even more innocent lives lost," he assured.

"Fair enough, but I'm curious. How'd you manage to take down Ivy like that? Once she stormed the building she had us pinned against the wall with those vines in ten seconds flat," he smirked.

"_Hubris._ Ivy's too smug to know when she's winning, and too proud to admit when she's losing. I didn't need to beat her, I just needed her to beat herself," he smiled.

"Whatever the case, rest easy. We're taking Ivy and the rest of the freaks back to Blackgate until we can figure out what else to do with them. I'll be _personally_ escorting her there," Cash informed him.

"Good, but keep an eye out. She might have influenced the other officers while you were being held captive, as well as yourself," he pointed out, nodding to the other guards who were being debriefed by Gordon.

"We've already done tests, but I'll be sure. Be safe out here Batman," Cash warned.

"You too," Batman nodded as well, as Cash walked towards the transport truck and began conversing with the other officers.

Batman then turned to meet Commissioner Gordon, who sided next to him as Ivy flanked by two officers with gas masks on to mask her pheromones marched down the sanctuary, her hands still bound in handcuffs.

"It only took her three hours to almost make an already bad situation worse. If you hadn't stopped her in time, Isley would've brought the whole place down before morning. Hell, it only took you twenty minutes to do what it would've taken us another two days to do," he remarked.

"It's over now," he assured, as Ivy stopped next to them, tilting her head towards Batman.

"Your night is only just beginning love! You won't make it to morning," she laughed, leering at the Dark Knight seductively.

"Get her out of here!" Gordon ordered. The officers nodded and roughly shoved her forwards.

"Gotham will burn Batman, and you'll be caught in the crossfire," she sneered, as they pushed her towards the transport truck.

"You just saved us another day of camping out there on our asses. I'd tell you 'good job,' but I'm sure that's not what you want to hear," he congratulated wearily.

"You should've called a helicopter in," he pointed out.

"Can't. Even if we could, Quinn's men are still out there, and a helicopter would've been easy practice for them. We mapped out the closest route out of Arkham City and back to Blackgate. Plus, I've got snipers on every rooftop in case you tries to escape. Cash is making sure it all goes down right. We'll be fine," he assured.

"You sure you don't need me to follow?"

"Nah, they got it covered. And if they don't, well, you tend to cover up our screw-up's pretty well so-" Gordon started, but his vibrating walkie-talkie cut him off mid-sentence.

Unclipping it from his belt, he held it up to his ear.

"Yeah?" he sighed wearily.

Certainly, his entire posture perked up as his eyes widened.

"_Bane_? How'd he get free?" he demanded.

"The sewers?" he breathed, his eyes widened in shock.

"Tell our boys to pull back. Repeat, do not engage Bane! It doesn't matter how he got free, only matters that he is neutralized before he gets his hands on that Titan," he growled into the walkie-talkie.

Finally after some back-and-forth banter, he re-clipped the walkie-talkie.

"Bane again?" Batman interjected, as Gordon wiped his sweaty brow.

"Someone let him loose from his cell in that toy factory. I had an entire unit on that place, not even a rat could've gotten in without them spotting it. Evidently, some of our boys spotted him leaping into that rabbit hole in the middle of Quinn's former territory. They figured that he might have some spare Titan containers in there, and wants to re-fuel before he escapes," Gordon explained.

"I'll stop him," Batman nodded.

"He'll have your number this time Batman!" Gordon warned.

"That's what everyone else says. Do you believe them?" he replied sternly, before walking towards the exit.

"Every time," he silently whispered, before turning to lecture his men.

"_Every time."_

* * *

**So yeah, that's the first chapter of my Batman: Arkham City "Reconstruction" story. I know it's long, mainly because this is basically the revised version of my original story, just a one chapter story where Batman confronts Poison Ivy after the events of Arkham City. I had decided to make this a full-fledged story, since it did kinda end on a cliffhanger, plus I really enjoyed writing the character of Poison Ivy. Of course, I've tried to stay as faithful to the source material as possible, hence why the inspiration for Ivy's boss battle is mainly taken from her Arkham Asylum appearance. Of course, I didn't want to copy-paste it, as that would make it kinda...bland. So, I basically tried to make it kinda like Mr. Freeze's boss battle, kind of a variation of their original conflict. Batman had to keep changing up his move-set in order to beat her rather than a one-sided fight to make Ivy seem like she actually learned something and make Batman not underestimate her. Hence why Ivy kept dropping hints about how predictable his move-set was, to not only taunt him but to force him to evolve, so to speak. Obviously, Batman can adapt, so that's how I came up with the ending. Batman defeats Ivy by using gadgets that he had created in Arkham City, and thus gadgets that Ivy would not be familiar with. I primarily chose Ivy as the central character largely based on her unpredictability, that just one wrong step in her garden can send her off the edge. She really brings that extra sense of danger, like once she gets on a rampage nothing can stop her. Plus, all of the other villains have either been incapacitated, imprisoned, or already had their character arcs played out. Note that this takes place after Harley Quinn's Revenge for future reference. I studied the Arkham games like crazy to make sure I had gotten down all the characters and their dialogue best I could. Of course, I'm also open to you guys thoughts and opinions on this chapter. I'd really appreciate it if you guys could leave a review on this story, be it a critique or a comment. I would really appreciate your take on the story, like things I could improve or more things that you want to see. If you didn't like how certain characters were portrayed or plot holes opened up, feel free to speak your voice! Again, thanks for taking the time to read, and keep your Bat-Signal up for the next installment: "Seeds of Arkham"**


	5. Seeds of Arkham

_"Seeds of Arkham"_

_Gotham City_

_Arkham City (Now Closed Down)_

_Two Hours Ago_

_Poison Ivy's Lair_

_08:44:03_

"Barbara, I've found her."

"_Poison Ivy? How can you be sure?_

The third Robin stood up from his vantage point overlooking Ivy's lair, narrowing his eyes as he gazed at her heavily guarded hideout. His uniform was battered, thanks to weeks at war with the inmates of Arkham City, yet his signature Robin symbol remained undeterred. His golden utility belt glimmered in the moonlight, the home to his potent and quite powerful arsenal. Donning a cape complete with a hood that covered his hair, he casually checked his gauntlets before pressing his index and middle fingers up to his earpiece.

"Trust me, I've got a feeling," he smiled, as he surveyed the lair from the top of the billboard that stood atop the old Gotham Casino building.

The dilapidated hotel had been utterly decimated by Ivy's bestial plants, a menagerie of her bestial plants wrapped around the building with a vice grip like none other. Giant vines had slithered around the hotel's exterior, occasionally stirring as they strengthened their hold over the establishment. Some had shot out of windows while others snaked around the main entrance to her lair. The smaller and more flexible ones branched off of the building, instead twisting in mid-air while some of the larger and more grounded vines had gathered, accumulating at the very bottom.

A green aura of Poison Ivy's pheromones littered the air, mostly accumulating above the rooftop. The foul stench of rotting fruits as well as decomposed matter permeated the air surrounding the lair, giving it a more _au natural _feeling yet the sense of immediate danger never wavered. This was evidenced by the quartet of Ivy's hypnotized henchmen which were guarding the primary bridge that led to the front door, a green aura surrounding their heads as they paced around the entrance with assault rifles at the ready and an unwavering loyalty for their mistress.

"Looks like she's set up camp back at her old hideout, an old abandoned hotel on the outskirts of Amusement Mile, " he commented while zooming in with his built-in suit visor, also noticing how the gates that originally guarded the entrance were now torn off their hinges, small vines acting as chains to keep them still attached to the gateway, while the chain that linked them was now loosely wrapped around some of the metal links.

"_Even if your theory is right, you're heading in blind to an already volatile situation. If Arkham Asylum was any indication of this, then Ivy's getting stronger, her plants are evolving. I'm not sure that I'm okay with you engaging her without something insight on how powerful she really is,"_ Barbara also pointed out.

"We can't just wait for her to make the first move, Barbara. If we do, we're only setting ourselves up to deal with a very ticked off mommy. By then, it'll be too late, and you know it. I strike now, and I can end her, before it even begins," he persisted.

"_What if she ends you?"_ Barbara countered darkly.

"That won't happen," he responded firmly.

"_I know it won't, but it could. You know Ivy, and you know that once she gets in your head, it's all over from the word 'go'. Maybe you should wait for Bruce,"_ she suggested.

"Barbara, even you know how backwards that sentence sounds," he remarked dryly.

"_What do you mean?"_

"He isn't the same, not after Arkham City. Ever since Joker died, he's shut himself off from the rest of us. He only talks to you when he has to, and me when he needs some of Quinn's old crew scraped off of the sewers. And that's only after he gets done breaking some unwise inmate's arm," he confessed.

"_Tim, sometimes our emotions tend to channel ourselves through our own actions. Bruce just needs time to…..recover,"_ came her candid reply.

"Between you and me Barbs, the longer that he stays in Arkham City, the worse off he'll be. He's so hell-bent on detaining the remaining inmates that he's forgetting about himself, and Gotham for that matter. Maybe you should try convincing him to at least try talking about it. You and Alfred seem to be the only one he listens to," he replied.

"_Tim, what Bruce went through that night at the Monarch Theatre no person should ever have to go through. Losing Talia was hard for him, even harder when he saw Joker go down just minutes later. It left him a changed man Tim, a different Bruce. I'm not sure that just talking about it will ease the pain."_

"Well, what do you suggest? Counseling?" he half smirked.

_"Bruce just needs some time, Tim, and we can only hope from there. It may be days before he opens up, but we can't force him to,"_ she mused.

"Talia I get, but Joker? The cemeteries of innocent people he's filled, the death and devastation that came in his wake, the people he's….hurt," he started to retort angrily, before his voice faltered at the end.

_"It's all right Tim,"_ Barbara encouraged gently, alluding to the incident where Joker had paralyzed her, thus ending her career as the famed Batgirl.

"Joker's not worth the tears, the grief, not anything. He lived a killer, and died a victim of his own insanity. It would've happened sooner or later; I would've figured that he would be relieved the clown died by his own hand," he spat ruthlessly.

"_Tim, you just don't understand tha-"_ Barbara started, before Tim cut her off.

"Understand what? Barbara, I understand his mourning for Talia, we all do. But if Joker was still alive right now, he'd be trying to kill all of us without so much as a blink of hesitation. He deserved to die for everything he's done, and if I was in Bruce's place that night. If I had the vial, I would've-" he continued angrily.

"_What, you would've killed him?"_ Barbara demanded.

"That's what he deserved Barbara," he whispered in a more restrained tone, finally forming the words in his mouth.

"_Joker deserved justice, and Bruce believed in that more than anyone,"_ she answered.

"Enough that he would let him live despite what happened in the asylum, as well as the potential hundreds he's murdered? Yeah, Joker deserves to be put on trial only to get off on a technicality, like he always did," he grumbled bitterly.

The former Batgirl took a deep breath before continuing.

"_When people, people like the Joker die Tim, its not because of the life they've lived, or the people that they've..hurt, but of the impacts that they've left on people's lives. Joker, whether Bruce would admit it or not, left a sizable impact on his life. Of course, he would never admit it, but Joker was probably. Back before you even became Robin, back when Batman was still Public Enemy No. 1, Bruce had to keep telling himself that by letting Joker live despite the travesties he's caused, he would be convincing himself that he was doing the right thing," she finally explained._

_"Right thing? How was letting that clown live this long the 'right thing'?" Tim spat._

_"It's complicated, I know, and Bruce would deny this if you even presented the idea, but somehow, perhaps subconsciously, Batman needed Joker just as much as Joker needed Batman. Bruce needed that one constant in his life, a sort of counterbalance to his usual brooding. He needed a valid reason for being Batman, a reason for patrolling the rooftops and making two-bit thugs think twice. With Joker, he had that reason to keep going through the years, to protect Gotham but also to remind himself of what true evil, true insanity is. As long as he could associate the true darkness and apathy of a person with the Joker, he could, at the very least, maintain some of his humanity,"_

_"So long story short, Bruce needed Joker in order to view himself as the better person, as someone who hadn't yet been consumed by insanity like Joker was. And without him, well."_

"He just reverts back to the usual status quo," Robin finished, finally understanding.

_"He's not proud of it, Tim," _Barbara whispered gently.

"Yeah, I suppose you're right. At least I think. Sorry for snapping earlier," he apologized

"_We're all tense Tim. These last few weeks have been grueling for all of us. The sooner we get out of Arkham City for good, the better,"_ she assured him.

"Can't argue with that. When was the last time you had contact with him?" Robin asked.

"_Last time I had contact with him, he was tracking down Deadshot in Park Row. Not only did that maniac break out of his holding cell, he also managed to get back his gauntlet guns from evidence lockup. I couldn't talk with him for long, the running theme these days it seems, but he did mention how odd it was for these super-criminals to be breaking out of their holding cells so easily, especially in one week,"_ she reported.

"It is strange, but you'd figure there'd be some higher power behind these break-outs. It just seems so..._coincidental_, and you know how much the old man hates coincidences," Tim agreed.

He could hear Oracle furiously typing away on the Batcomputer while he waited for her input on the situation.

_"Even if it was, he or she would have to be operating out of Arkham City. I've kept tabs on every possible former Arkham City inmate with even a resemblance of sanity. Riddler's held in solitary confinement under lock and key, Penguin's evaded GCPD capture so far, but his entire network is spread so thin you could slice right through it, and Black Mask was recently apprehended. The only possible candidate would be Scarecrow, and even if he managed to escape the asylum in one piece, I would assume he'd be biding his time, not trying to stir up any trouble now."_

"Don't count him out, Barb. I have a feeling we haven't seen the last of Crane. So what's the current M.O on Poison Ivy?

_"I've picked up a few seismic spikes from the Batwing in the vicinity, but aside from that, Ivy's kept quiet. Too quiet,"_ she reported.

"Not for long. And I have a feeling her welcoming party is a little _less_ than welcoming," he remarked, nodding towards the overall increase in the inmates guarding the entrance. Two of them were from Two-Face's gang, their black-and-white uniforms tattered but still visible. The rest were dressed in red-and-black color scheme with the jester motif to match, indicative of Harley Quinn's former army. The signature pheromone aura surrounding their heads, they all sported assault rifles while pacing up and down the stairs in a leisurely manner.

"Looks like she's beefed up security since escaping confinement," he remarked, observing the now doubled amount of inmates she had guarding the entrance.

_"What can you tell me?"_ Oracle piped in.

"I'm checking out at least four of her zombie-goons, and packing some hardware too," he added, noticing their assault rifles.

_"Guns? I thought GCPD confiscated the last few TYGER vaults and shipments across Arkham City?"_ Barbara asked, confused.

"They must've scavenged them over time. But that doesn't matter, because I know where their weapons are going," he smirked, rising to his feet with renewed energy.

"_Good luck Tim_," Barbara smiled, a hint of joy in her voice, before she signed off.

"Time to go back to work," he murmured, before leaping off the billboard and entering the vicinity of Ivy's lair.

The first guard would be easy.

After all, he was practically wide open for the takedown.

Face forward, the former Harley Quinn thug stared blankly at the entrance to Ivy's lair, his assault rifle resting leisurely over his shoulder. The pheromone aura still prominent on his head, he was oblivious to the agile Robin who quietly dropped down from the overlooking billboard right behind him.

As the Boy Wonder's feet hit the ground, he began silently creeping up to the oblivious guard in a crouching position.

Just as the guard was about to turn around to continue his rounds, Robin quickly wrapped his forearm around him before bringing him down to his level. Knowing his size disadvantage, Robin could only use leverage and the right positioning to take him down.

The man's initial squirms were energetic and violent, but eventually began to subside as Robin tightened his grip, flexing his muscles against the grunt's throat. Eventually, his flailing arms began to lay limply by his side, and within the next five seconds, the man was unconscious.

Robin gently dropped him on the floor before turning to the remaining three thugs.

"One on the catwalk, and two on ground floor. This is gonna be easy," he thought to himself, as he mainly focused on the two thugs still patrolling his level.

Without further hesitation, he began approaching the nearest Quinn thug, who was circling around the mountain of unopened Arkham City rations. Silently walking up right behind him, Robin brandished his signature bo staff, a three-foot wide metal compact staff with one button to control how far it contracts. Made of stainless still, it was Robin's most coveted gadget, and so far, his most useful.

Grasping the staff in one hand, he continued walking towards the so far oblivious Quinn thug, who continued patrolling around the rations, assault rifle in tow. Coming to a stop right behind him as the thug paused to lean on the metal railings and gaze at the dilapidated building, Robin instead took advantage.

Just as he was about to turn around, Robin drilled the hilt of his staff right off the back of his head, causing him to fall down to one knee. Before he could call out for help, Robin wrapped his forearm around his throat in a reverse front facelock, tucking his head underneath his armpit.

The man squirmed and tried to scream for help, but Robin's metal gauntlet quickly quieted him. His assault rifle dropping from his hands, he slapped at Robin's forearm desperately, but it was a futile effort.

Within seconds, the man's body grew limp, and Robin quickly tossed his body to the side.

"_Two more to go_," he said to himself, as he quickly glared at the guard still upstairs, staring blankly into the air, his back to the doors.

The one still on top was oblivious to what was happening down below, but that only complicated things. Going up head-to-head against an assault rifle isn't always a good idea, even with protective armor. Even if he could catch him off balance with a shuriken, his version of the Batarang, the noise would certainly alarm Ivy to his position. He needed a distraction to lure the guard away from the door, and he had just the idea.

Turning to the third guard who was examining the mountain of rations absent-mindedly, he continued his prior approach at stealth and crept up to the unsuspecting foe.

This time however, when he wrapped his forearm around his neck and dragged him down inches above the floor, Robin expedited the process with a strong elbow right to the back of his head. The sound of flesh against flesh instantly alerted the other guard, who began advancing up the catwalk cautiously, cocking his assault rifle.

As he slumped down to the concrete, Robin quickly backed away from the steel stairs, instead retreating behind the last foe.

Producing his grappling hook, he fired the hook, which would then latch on to the metal bars. With a grunt, the hook propelled the Boy Wonder upwards, allowing for him to easily climb up and over the railing.

He was right behind the guard who was cautiously descending down the stairs, and he couldn't be more oblivious.

Standing up straight, he casually walked up to the oblivious grunt, and almost politely tapped him on the back.

The grunt sleepily turned around, only to be greeted by a fist to the face. He crumpled to the ground as Robin's knuckles slammed into his cheek, knocking back flat on his back.

He moaned while on the floor, but Robin didn't give him a moment's respite, running down the stairs before planting his foot on the man's throat, holding him in place.

Before he could even murmur a response, Robin extended the staff, lifting it above his shoulder before efficiently whacking the grunt right across the face with it, knocking him unconscious.

Retracting his bo staff, he held the other hand up to his comlink as he walked back up the stairs.

"Perimeter's clear. I'm in," he told Oracle.

"_Good. Be careful, Tim! Ivy's gotten even more powerful than before. Don't underestimate her_," she warned.

"Roger that, so how am I looking so far?"

"_So far, so good. Your suit's vitals are stable, so that's always a good sign_," she reported.

"Agreed. Once I get done tying up loose ends, give me an update on Bruce, whenever he gets finished with Deadshot. We'll work this thing out together," he smiled.

"_Will do, good hunting Tim!_" she smiled, before signing off.

Robin turned to the entrance of Ivy's lair, narrowing his eyes as he noticed the vines that had first pried the gates loose. With his luck, there'd be vines twice that size inside. But then again, with his luck, she'd probably have some other 'surprises' just waiting for him.

After checking his gauntlets, he cracked his knuckles as well as his neck before walking through the double gates, and through the door to Poison Ivy's hideout.


	6. Seeds of Arkham: Part 2

A wave of humidity instantly slapped Robin in the face as soon as he walked through the door, indicative of the sort of temperature it took for Ivy's bestial plants to thrive in. He noticed how the floor beneath him seemed normal, not yet infiltrated by her vines. The tiles had a black-and-white color scheme about them. The wall to his left and right was actually well-preserved, a lamp attached to the wall illuminating a dark area.

Of course, that sense of normalcy would only last a second or two, as his eyes rested on Ivy's true hideout.

An entire ecosystem decorated what used to be the hotel lobby. Giant tree roots grew out of the decaying concrete. Plants that looked like they belonged in various prehistoric eras littered the floor, the leaves the size of flat screen TV's.

The ceiling was completely covered with a mossy canopy,what seemed like an entire nest of her signature vines draped around the infrastructure. In fact, it seemed that the entire floor above him was completely decimated, leaving more room for her babies to grow and flourish. Rusted rebar stuck out from the disintegrated remains of what used to be the floor a level above. Some vines flailed limply above his head, while others slithered across the canopy. The larger vines remained immobile, a bright green emitting from their bodies almost like radiation as they plugged into the ceiling.

He noticed how every single hallway or exit that led out of the hotel lobby was blocked by her plants, leaving only this section of the hotel accessible.

As the Boy Wonder continued wandering throughout the living, breathing ecosystem, he noticed six man-sized cocoons slumped against the wall to both his left and right. The cocoon was shaped like the mouth to some horrifying beast, two slimy jaws containing the specimen within. As he turned around to look at one of the cocoons, he barely made out a still living specimen, a Penguin thug by the looks of it. Discernibly by his battered, cut up uniform, he squinted his eyes to notice how his face was distorted into a sleepy grin, his eyes twinkling with some aura of pleasure.

"And I thought Grundy was the only zombie in Arkham City," he remarked out loud, before turning to the center of the room, where Ivy was most certainly located.

_"Don't be shy, Boy Wonder! You'll be joining them soon enough!"_ came a seductive yet sinister voice in front of him.

Instinctively, he twirled around with a shuriken drawn on one hand. Narrowing his eyes, he continued to hold the shuriken in his fingers as entire boulders of leaves right in front of him subsided, revealing the plant queen.

He reluctantly shelved the weapon as the leaves spread to their respective sides, revealing Poison Ivy, in all her floral beauty. Seated atop a throne made entirely of leaves, she yawned, stretching her arms out as if waking up from a dream.

Upon first glance, any other male would've been immediately entranced by her quite alluring and seductive appearance. The former botanist was near naked, save for a foliage pantie that stretched between her hips, covering her groin area. She still wore the standard red Arkham City jacket, all of the buttons except two unbuttoned at her center to contain her cleavage.

Her skin complexion was a leafy green, a likely side effect of the effects of her "failed" experiments years ago. What appeared to be vines decorated her body almost like body tattoos. Her fiery red hair was untamed, dropping down from her shoulders. Her eyes, a lighter shade of green, were playful as she flashed a seductive grin at the Boy Wonder. Her toes, just like her fingernails were painted a bright red.

He cleared his throat, after glaring at the self-professed plant queen. He knew that her appearance alone would attract men halfway across Arkham City, but he had to remain vigilant, focused on the task at hand. He had to remember the things she did, the people she killed, and remember that this was a criminal just like the rest.

"Well well, this is _interesting_," came her seductive purr, her voice eloquent and reassuring.

He cringed almost on instinct, knowing that if such a voice was able to entrance grown men, he needed to reinforce his mental barriers.

"I wait here all alone for the big bad Batman to show his pointy little ears, and instead he sends the Boy _Blunder_, his little errand boy," she sneered, her eyes resting playfully on the teenaged vigilante.

"Poison Ivy," he replied matter-of-factly.

"That's what everyone else calls me. What do you call me, little birdy?" she purred.

"Insane. Absolutely egotistical. Damaged beyond repair. A disillusioned botanist. Those are just some of the words that come to mind," he answered sarcastically.

An irritable twinkle glimmered in her eyes for a moment, before it quickly disappeared, replaced by a distracting smile.

"I see your sense of humor has not diminished since our last encounter," she remarked curtly.

"And neither has your fashion sense, or should I say, lack of?" he remarked.

"Your fabric is tainted, grown and designed off of the flesh and blood of my babies. You pathetic meat-sacks seek to clothe yourself with the skin of my children, while I am an open book. My body is decorated by the names of my fallen children, clothed by the raw material of the Earth. Unlike you humans, I do not hide who I truly am," she smiled, referring to her decorative tattoos as well as barely clad body.

"A delusional, completely psychotic eco-terrorist?" he offered.

"I also see that the Batman has filled your pretty little head with lies, how typical of him," she smiled in return.

A fledgling vine wrapped around her forearm as she finished talking, its mouth gesturing playfully at its surrogate mother. Ivy merely laughed at whatever it said. Robin sighed irritably, knowing that the sympathetic connection shared between Ivy and her plants was strictly exclusive, only she could fully understand, and at times, control them.

"You put plants before people, you kill said people with little to no motivation on your part, and you expect to be treated like some 'goddess'?" he pointed out.

She merely laughed before returning her flirty glare to the Boy Wonder.

"Is that what Batman said?" she smirked

"That's what everyone says, Isley," he countered, crossing his arms.

"You humans are all the same. A blight upon this world, you seek to expand your own kingdom by destroying ours, trading in our habitats and natural-born lives for shopping malls and cities of steel and smog. Destroying what you don't understand, justifying your actions, your crimes against nature with your horribly misguided senses of morality. I am merely a product of your apathy, a watchful guardian created from the pollution that you humans so proudly condone. I simply do what is right for my people," she shot back, her words rolling off her tongue with such an eloquent purr.

"Yeah, you do what's right for your plants, Ivy. Killing innocent people, crippling entire cities, attempted genocide, so what? It's not like they had families, friends, people who cared about them, right? The ends justify the means I guess, even if those means paint you as the greater evil than the people you claim are the real problem," he pointed out as well.

She merely flashed him an amusing smile before turning back to the fledgling vine, caressing its skin.

"As much as I would love continuing this conversation, Boy Blunder, my babies need their mother. We've been gone for so long, I've cried every day that I was so cruelly separated. They wouldn't last a day without their mother," she said, without even looking at him.

The vine curled around her finger excitedly as she massaged its rough skin. That picture alone almost caused Robin to rethink his true intentions, but he knew better.

"Yeah Ivy, I'm sure your 'babies' would appreciate the extra blanket of rotting corpses you get for them," he said.

"I do what's best for them," she hissed defensively.

"Sure, nothing screams 'mommy loves you' more than a few dead bodies for them to bury in the ground, give or take a hundred or so," he pointed out.

"Of course, I wouldn't expect _you_ to understand us. After all, that's why you came here, isn't it? To take their mother away from them, to lock me back up in that dreadful cell for days? You have no idea Robin, how it feels to fight for a cause so misunderstood that even you get portrayed the bad guy. But how could you? You seem to idolize your precious Batman so much that I'm surprised he isn't with you right now," she pouted, her voice almost genuine.

Robin was about to retort, when he soon found himself not able to. He felt somewhat sympathetic towards Ivy, that despite her actions, had well-meaning causes to them.

"No, you would rather beat me up like some common crook, just like Batman, now wouldn't you? Drag me back to that awful cell, and gloat of your victory, while I rot there. You're just like Strange, the typical man. Drunk with your own power, and too arrogant to even begin to understand the people you've hurt," she continued.

Robin felt compelled to comfort her by the end of the sentence, much less punch her. Her words felt so genuine and heartfelt that he nearly forgot why he was there in the first place.

"_At first, she's play the 'sympathy card'. Portray herself as this loving mother, but don't believe her. Just block it out, and push forward_," Barbara had told him once before, and her words couldn't have been more evidenced than they were now.

Shaking his head almost out of necessity of remembering how Ivy truly is at her core, he cleared his throat again before continuing.

"You skipped Blackgate with a 'Get out of Jail Free' card, Ivy. I'm here to take you back," he told her simply, his voice devoid of any emotion.

The plant queen sighed sympathetically, causing the vine to unravel from her finger and hiss threateningly at the Boy Wonder. As if sensing her sudden change in body language, some of the vines draped over the ceiling began to descend, hissing at him menacingly as well.

"Please don't worry my darlings. I won't let them separate us again. They will never hurt you again," she assured, causing the vines to halt their movement, before retreating back to the ceiling.

"Not unless you force me to," Robin interjected.

She patted the baby vine on its head reassuringly before turning back to Robin, a slightly indignant expression on her face.

"You're as delusional and arrogant as your beloved Bat if you think I'll come, _willingly_," she hissed angrily.

"That's why I brought this," he smiled, reaching into his utility belt and brandishing his coveted bo staff, the stainless steel glimmering in her lair.

She instinctively flinched, the weapon obviously evoking some memories for her.

"You see Ivy, you're coming out of this room one of two ways: on your feet, or on a stretcher. I suggest you choose wisely," he stated simply, giving her the two options.

Smirking on one side of her mouth, she turned back to the vine, before replying.

"Your idle threats, while cute I will admit, are utterly meaningless, little birdy. Look around you, look beneath you. All around us lies an army ready to defend their mother, all at my command. And you, you're simply a hindrance, a sad little birdy whose flown too far away from his nest. And without your precious Batman to come save you, you're simply a mere mortal trying to wrestle with a living, breathing goddess. You need only ask yourself Robin, just how long will you last in _my_ world?" she retorted cleverly.

Robin couldn't help but feel a bit taken aback by Ivy's clever retort, her words slicing through his skin like hot knives.

In a way, she was right. He had never defeated Ivy, at least not in one-on-one combat. Sure, he had come close, but ultimately relied on Batman to bail him out. But without him, he wasn't exactly confident that he could back his threats up, especially against Ivy, who had the obvious home-field advantage.

Ivy noticed his conflicted expression and capitalized on it.

"What's wrong, little birdy? Not so confident without the big bad Batman, are you? You see here, in our garden, there is no Batman to save you, no easy way out. And a word of advice about using your 'toys' against us. Believe me Robin, we will break your toys, just as easily as we will break you," she cooed, laughing as he clenched his fists.

"Care to test that theory, Ivy?" he retorted, expertly brandishing his bo staff.

The vine that Ivy was previously tending to retreated back into the ground, as she leaned back on her throne, still laughing at his threat.

"Amusing, but utterly, utterly predictable. Believe me boy, if I wanted to fight you, you'd be dead right now. Your bravado is admirable, but meaningless if you don't have _him_ to back you up. Now, I have important business to attend to, very important business. Why not be a good little boy, and run along back to your little nest, before I decide to make you my business?" she grinned smugly.

Subtly hinting at a threat herself, Ivy smirked as she crossed her legs on the leafy throne, an amused twinkle in her eyes as she patiently waited for his retort.

"Too many innocent people will die unless I stop you right here, right now, Ivy. You jeopardize the lives of everyone still in Arkham City with your 'babies' still roaming amok. You risk the lives of thousands more in Gotham if I let you run scot-free, and I can't allow that. I'm giving you one last chance to surrender peacefully," he persisted, much to her utter amusement.

"Or what?" she quipped, bemused by his threat.

"I _make_ you surrender," he stated firmly, causing her to howl with laughter, her erratic yet infectious laughter causing Robin to grit his teeth irritably.

"Well that's your opinion, Boy Blunder. Of course, you won't have much of an opinion or rather, anything at all once I'm through with you. But why spoil the fun? After all, I might enjoy this," she smiled.

"Okay, so Option B. Fine by me," he sighed, extending his staff.

She merely clicked her lips together disapprovingly at his defiance, her eyes resting on him playfully.

"You never were that bright, Robin. Shame, you had such a pretty face," she mused in her usual seductive drawl, a disappointed tone in her voice before snapping her fingers together.


	7. Seeds of Arkham: Part 3

As soon as she did so, the six cocoons that surrounded Robin suddenly split wide open, unleashing her own personal "bodyguards."

His eyes darted from left to right as the brainwashed inmates of Arkham City emerged from the protective shells, their bodies still slimy from being insulated for so long. A collection of Joker, Penguin, and TYGER guards staggered out of their respective shells, her signature pheromone aura still emitting from the top of their heads. Their respective uniforms were smeared with liquid residue, limp vines adorned around their necks.

Their feet dragged behind them, but with the subtlety of a zombie, began stalking towards him, their eyes glossed over in favor of a light green.

Forming a loose circle around him, they roughly came to a screeching halt, as their eyes sleepily trailed over to the plant queen, awaiting her orders.

Regarding them with ease, Robin turned back to Ivy.

"I had you all wrong, Ivy. You're not a martyr, you're a maniac. Your 'paradise on earth' crap is as empty as their heads. To you, humans are only worth keeping alive as long as they do whatever you say, whenever you say it. No free will, what you say goes. I'd feel sorry for them, but then again, I'd feel sorry for anyone who's actually attracted to you without you 'changing their mind'," he taunted.

She scowled at him irritably, her mouth curling into an ugly snarl. Her playful demeanor now gone, he could tell that he was getting to her. Using her own ego against her was the first step towards taking her down.

"Don't hurt him too bad, boys. After all, I still may have use for him," she said, flicking her fingers at him dismissively.

"Anything you say, Ivy," the six droned in unison, before attacking him.

Mere seconds before engaging in combat, Robin closed his eyes, just as one of the Joker thugs aimed a wild haymaker right at the side of his head.

"_Count to five, inhale. Count to five, exhale_," echoed the words of Batman, as he recounted his early days as the Dark Knight's protege, back when he was still training in the Bat-Cave.

Then, he opened his eyes.

Moving with the agility of a cat, Robin easily ducked the criminal's futile blow, as his fist sailed harmlessly over his head.

He responded with a swift fist to the face, the punch knocking the clown mask right off his face as he reeled forward. Now grasping the staff with both hands, he slammed the metal right into the Joker thug's face, who crumpled to the ground.

Seconds after the thug hit the ground, Robin himself followed suit, throwing himself on his back just as the second Joker thug lunged at him from behind. Propping his legs up in front of him, he skidded right in front of the Joker thug whose punch was still in mid-air.

In a acute act of agility, he used his palms to push himself up, but not before slamming both feet into the grunt's stomach in the process, sending him flying backwards.

Gracefully landing on his feet, he turned to the next victim, a TYGER guard who brandished a steel bat in tow.

Smirking, he beckoned at the guard with one hand, and he obliged, uttering a war cry before swinging the bat at him.

Robin easily knocked the bat out of his hands with his staff, before swatting him hard on his cheekbone, sending him reeling.

Standing up straight, he almost nonchalantly stabbed behind him as another grunt tried to attack him from behind, only to receive a jab to the stomach for his efforts. As the TYGER guard doubled over, Robin extended the bo staff to its fullest length, right under his chin.

"Uggghhhh!" came his reply, as the staff smashed into his chin, his teeth clanging each other before he staggered backwards, his head swaying from left to right.

Right before his eyes, he spotted two Penguin thugs running at him from both sides, and reacted appropriately.

Just as the first of the two started to punch at him, he quickly jabbed at his knee, causing the thug to yelp in pain before starting to drop down. Robin then jumped on his knee before kicking off of his shoulder, launching himself into the air.

Curving his body around in mid-air, he landed right atop the other Penguin thug, knocking him to his feet in one fell swoop.

Planting his knee firmly on the thug's chest, Robin raised his staff before the grunt could hit at him. With a smile, he slammed the hilt directly into his groin area, resulting in a pained yelp from the thug as he assumed the fetal position.

Returning his attention to the second Penguin thug, he sprang right back into action, lunging at the thug just as he started to regain balance in his legs.

No time wasted, Robin instinctively knocked the man's arm aside just as he swung at him, before mercilessly slamming the tip of his staff right between his pectoral muscles, hitting a critical "pressure point."

With that, the grunt groaned before falling flat on his back.

The next TYGER guard may have given himself away completely by yelling at Robin, giving the Boy Wonder ample time to react as he swung at him.

Robin easily parried the fist with one of his own, his fingers closing around the grunt's fist. With that, he pivoted on his foot, twirling around into a complete 360 before nailing the mercenary with a spinning heel kick to the face.

The momentum behind his kick sent the guard twirling into a 360 of his own, before returning to Robin groggy and discombobulated. Robin greeted him with a harsh gut kick to the stomach, causing him to kneel over.

But just before he could hit the ground, Robin raised his staff and quite emphatically slammed it into the back of his neck, resulting in a satisfying thud as the man's face met the floor.

He reared his staff back before thrusting it behind him, catching the previously recovering Joker thug right in the throat.

As he gagged and clutched at his throat, Robin quickly ended his misery with a well-aimed whack right across the face, instantly downing him.

Now with only one remaining grunt, he smiled as the final grunt, a TYGER guard, had somehow managed to find an assault rifle, and had taken the liberty of arming himself with it, a futile effort for the Boy Wonder.

His ears pricking at the sound of fresh ammunition being clipped into the gun, he wasted no time going after it, rolling to the ground in order to cover the distance faster.

Re-emerging right in front of him, the thug fumbled for the trigger, but Robin was simply faster, easily slipping his staff right in the trigger guard and tossing the weapon away before he even had the chance of using it.

To prevent further resistance, the Boy Wonder landed a light head-butt right to his temple, rendering the thug groggy. As to spice up his combo, Robin grabbed hold of his left arm and kicked both knees from under him, knocking him to the ground.

With both hands wrapped around his forearm, Robin easily pinned him down on the ground, and with leverage on his side, began twisting his arm clockwise. The thug howled with pain, but only just, as Robin effectively twisted the arm all the way to his shoulderblades. He screamed in agony before growing limp, the pain clearly too much for him.

"I see you've improved since our last encounter, Robin," Ivy said simply, but there was no hint of her previous smug behavior. She merely regarded him coldly, an annoying twinkle in her eyes as she watched her "bodyguards" being systematically dismantled by the Boy Wonder.

Smiling from one corner of his mouth to the other, the tenacious Robin almost took his time while standing up, relishing in Ivy's frown. Expertly twirling his bo staff, he could barely make out her veins bulging as she seethed at him, her beautiful yet toxic face contorted into a menacing snarl.

"You disappoint me Ivy. I thought you said you had a challenge for me," he mocked her, still twirling his bo staff on one hand, before it retracted to its usual length.  
"I see your arrogance has not wavered since our last encounter as well, little Robin. No matter, they were merely pawns, their meaty exterior slowed them down. Now lets see how you deal with the true power of Mother Nature," she replied curtly, now standing up.

She pointed at him rather casually, her snarl quickly dissipating into a knowing grin as her fingers flickered at him.

Instinctively bracing himself, he narrowed his eyes irritably as Ivy's true helpers, her serpentine vines, dropped down from the ceiling. Sharp thorns coating their skin, the tips of their heads were seething mouths, teeming with razor-sharp teeth capable of cutting through metal, much less flesh.

"Afraid, little man?" she purred, noticing his slightly irritable expression.

"Not as much as you're gonna be," he countered, beckoning her forward.

"We'll see about that," she smiled, before the vines lunged at him.

The first vine within range received a powerful whack right across the face, his metal staff knocking it out of the way in one swift motion. Robin turned to the next target, and just before it could sink its teeth into his flesh, threw a shuriken, his version of the Batarang, at it.

The projectile met the vine in mid-air, but the shuriken was victorious, spearing it right through its pointy teeth. With a wail, the vine flopped to the floor, its mouth split open. He quickly produced another shuriken, and without even aiming, hurled it at the incoming vine.

His hopes quickly faded as the vine maneuvered itself in mid-air to avoid touching the projectile, obviously learning from its predecessor. His eyes widened in shock as the vine managed to veer to the right to avoid it, before returning to its original course as the vine instead clanged off of Ivy's more immobile vines next to her throne.

The vine took the Boy Wonder by surprise, managing to knock him off his face with a hard slap right across his chest. Toppling over, his body skidded across the ground thanks to the impact behind the hit before he slammed his staff into the floor, creating a makeshift brake.

"How predictable! Did you really think that your toys stood a chance against my babies, Boy Blunder?" she taunted him, laughing as the lone vine moved in for the finishing blow.

Letting his body grow limp for a moment, Robin instead resorted to another strategy: playing possum. And as the vine launched out at him from the ground, he remained perfectly still, waiting until the opportune time presented itself.

And just as the vine was about to lash out at him again, Robin suddenly rolled over on his stomach just as the plant was about to attack him. Not waiting for it to strike at him again, Robin drove his bo staff right through its mouth, the polished steel entering one side and coming out the other, its insides sprayed all over his handle.

The now limp vine flopped to the ground, as he retracted the staff before standing back up, much to the chagrin of Poison Ivy.

"You're starting to annoy me, Robin," she scowled.

"Any more tricks, Ivy?" he smiled, resting his bo staff on his shoulder.

"Actually, I have a few," she smiled in return, before gesturing at him.

Suddenly, the ground beneath him exploded as what looked like tree roots suddenly materialized, much to his surprise. The gnarled wood quickly wrapped around his ankles, before curling up his legs. He attacked them relentlessly with his staff, but it merely bounced off of the wood.

"Why don't you come on down darlings, and greet our newest visitor?" she added evilly, as he continued struggling with the roots.

If only to make things worse, the next wave of Ivy's vines descended from the ceiling, obeying Ivy's commands.

Almost sensing his plight, the fresh vines continued to lunge at him, even in his current state. Their collective mouths were almost gleaming with razor-sharp teeth and greenish liquids, no doubt reserved for him.

Robin just managed to extend his bo staff, expertly brandishing the metallic weapon as Ivy's second wave of animalistic vines, their mouths widened in a frenzied snarl as they lashed out at him.

He resiliently warded them away at first with his staff, swinging it wildly as they faltered backwards. The staff barely managed to clip any of them, but they strategically stood out of his range before he could inflict any lasting damage on them.

Of course, his luck would only last so long.

Taking advantage of his current state, one of the vines managed to surprise him, catching him off guard with a vicious slash across the face. With a cry, the Boy Wonder reeled backwards as the vine's thorny skin tattooed itself within his exposed cheek, the sharpened wood piercing his skin.

Staggering sideways thanks to the sudden rush of momentum, he soon found himself losing his footing, and eventually, his balance.

Only then did the roots relinquish their hold over his legs, retreating back into the ground to allow the vines to finish the job.

With an audible grunt, he fell flat on his back, a noticeable stinging emitting from his left cheek. In the process, he felt his bo staff slip out of his fingers, instead clanging to the ground next to him. Rolling on his sides, he clutched his now almost lacerated cheek, cringing grimly as he felt blood dripping onto his gloved fingers. Running his hand across the fresh wound, he winced almost instantly when his fingers first touched the wound, pain now surging through his body.

"Awwww, did that hurt little Robin?" came Ivy's taunting sneer, her words causing him to snarl out of sheer frustration.

The vines encircled him almost in a predatory fashion, their mouths gleaming at him through razor-sharp teeth and greenish liquids. It was almost like they were waiting for their mother's command before finishing the job.

"Don't be too rough on him, my darlings. We wouldn't want to mess up such a pretty face, now would we?" Ivy cooed, the official "thumbs-down" for the vines to finish the job.

Not wanting to wait for them to make the first move, he quickly sprang towards the staff just as the first of the vines broke out of their predatory circle and started to lunge at him.

Feeling his fingers tighten around his bo staff, the rash yet resourceful Robin prepared an equally powerful counteroffensive.

Just as the closest vine began to near his position, he suddenly sprang his plan into action, swinging his staff right into the line of fire. Just as the vine was about to take a bite out of his face, he effectively stopped it in its tracks, slicing it in two in one fluid motion.

The plant fluids spraying in his face as the severed vine flopped to the floor, he didn't even have time to catch his breath, as the remaining two vines lunged at him simultaneously.

CRANK! That was the sound heard as the organic vines collided with his steel staff, resulting in a stalemate from both sides. Robin just barely managed to bring his staff up to his neck, mere seconds away from the vines sinking their teeth into his flesh. Instead, the vines latched onto his staff, their thorny mouths digging harmlessly around the steel.

Though he was able to momentarily hold them at bay, the sheer ferocity of the vines began to win out, pushing his staff back towards him.

Wincing through gritted teeth, he utilized his forearms to try to push the vines back, but they were quickly gaining the advantage, their sheer number overcoming his lone resiliency. At this point, he was just trying to keep the thorns away from his face, but even that was a stretch. With every inch lost, the vine's ever deadly thorns became more of a certainly in the Boy Wonder's immediate future.

The vines snapping at him relentlessly, he quickly glanced at his chest, where he was losing the tug-of-war with the sentient plants. The staff was now mere centimeters away from his chestplate. Just when everything seemed futile, the corner of his eye suddenly caught something: his utility belt.

Without even thinking, he instantly had a plan in his head, and executed that plan without so much as a second thought. Intentionally letting the vines continue to pin him down under his bo staff, he kept his right elbow stationed at the staff while letting his hand travel towards his midsection. His fingers grabbing frantically at his belt, he heaved a sigh of relief once he touched one of his pockets.

"Don't be afraid little Robin. Your fate will soon be shared with the rest of Gotham, starting with your pathetic mentor Batman!" Ivy cackled from her throne.

Unbeknownst to her, that one sentence gave him the extra motivation needed to grab one of his signature shurikens, his fingers closing around the blade.

Just as the vines were about to pin him down with his own staff, the resourceful Robin revealed his own ace in the hole.

With a cry, he plunged the shuriken into two of the vines who had intercrossed themselves along the rod allowing for a clean intersection. Twisting the blade deep into their insides, he quickly averted your eyes as their liquids squirted out, dripping onto his body armor. The two now limp vines draping over the staff, he quickly drew another shuriken for the third. Stabbing the blade right into the head of the third and final head, a satisfying _crunch_ filling his ears as he twisted its neck in half, causing the vine's inner liquids to squirt him in the eyes.

"Gross," he commented, as he wiped the liquid off his face before tossing the three vines off his bo staff.

Rolling on his stomach, he quickly started to rise to his elbows and knees. Just as he was about to rise to his feet, the corner of his eye suddenly came into contact with something that was definitely not there moments before.

Right in front of him suddenly materialized a giant rose-shaped plant, at least five feet in length and half that amount in width. Glowing green streaks raced from top to bottom, it made a puckering motion when its mouth opened, producing a fiery red toxic bubble.

With only seconds to react, he instantly threw himself to the side, the bubble slamming into the ground where he was just seconds ago, dissipating upon impact.

He emerged to its right, a shuriken drawn in one hand and his bo staff in the other.

"You can't kill all of us, little Robin. Why not give up now, and save us the trouble of putting you down?" she purred from her throne, as the rose-shaped plant produced another toxic bubble.

"Great. More weeds," he mumbled, before springing into action.

Running at the plant at top speed, he easily ducked the orb as it whistled past him, before bursting into the ground. Nearing the plant, it began producing another toxic bubble, but this time the Boy Wonder was quicker.

Leaping over the plant with ease, he maneuvered his body in mid-air so that his feet would land first. Upon landing, he quickly plunged his staff right through its mouth, twisting the staff clockwise.

Finally, he felt something circular being impaled on it, and retracted the staff, the remnants of what appeared to be the plant's heart quickly dissipating in the air. With a wail, the plant crumpled to the ground, its mouth literally splitting in fourths before they flailed to the ground.

Turning towards Ivy, he noticed a slight twitch in her condescending grin that she flashed him, but that quickly vanished. She merely leered at him from her throne, but what put a smile on his face was the fact that there were no more of her plants to fight, at least not visibly.

It was just him and her.

"You got any more weeds for me to whack Ivy, or will I just have to settle with you?" he smirked, half expecting a reply.

"Oh don't worry Robin. I'll just full of surprises," she purred, giving him a knowing look.

"I'm guessing one of those 'surprises' isn't an early surrender?" he quipped.

"Your arrogance precedes you, bird boy. But lets see how well your little 'playthings' fare against true might, _true_ power," she smiled, before closing her eyes, her brow shriveled in concentration.

He gritted his teeth angrily, preparing for her next move.

Finally, her eyes opened, and a clever grin adorned her face. She flashed a mischievous smile at him, much to his utter chagrin, as the underground movements continued to increase.

Judging by his ears, he could feel something festering under him, something _massive_. It was like something was trying to break through the ground, get to him, and while his first response wasn't as fully realized as his mentor, it was just enough to save his life.

Tim cautiously backed away as the ground started to shake beneath his feet, the sudden vibrations almost causing him to lose his balance. It was quite reminiscent of an earthquake, only with a narrowed focus, aimed at him.

Finally, her eyes opened, and a clever grin adorned her face. She flashed a knowing smile at him, much to his utter chagrin, as the underground movements continued to increase.

By the pricking of his ears, he could feel something festering under him, something _massive_. It was like something was trying to break through the ground, get to him, and while his first response wasn't as fully realized as his mentor, it was just enough to save his life.

BAMMMM! The ground that formerly housed the Boy Wonder exploded, literally cracking in two just as he threw himself backwards. Flying through the air, he maneuvered his body in mid-air so that his shoulder would hit the ground first, almost ten feet away from the point of rupture. His shoulder colliding with the ground, Robin quickly rolled to his feet, grasping his bo staff behind him while glaring irritably at her newest "creation."

A giant foot-wide wooden cone shot out of the opening, it's exterior decorated by leaves and moss. It knifed through the air before retreating back into the surrounding floor. It's tip was sharpened to a fine point, which allowed successful penetration of the ground.

Sure, his annoyance turned to horror, as something much more terrifying emerged from underground, indicated by the booming sounds emitting from the hole.

"You see Boy Blunder, my babies don't like it when you threaten their mother."

A giant, humanoid hand suddenly emerged from the hole, barely resembling that of a normal man's. It was comprised mainly of joined tree roots, with leaves and moss decorating its exterior. Its sheer size was wider than Robin's torso, which especially startled him.

"After all, what would they do without me?" she continued, completely relishing in his shocked expression.

Of course, that was only the very tip of the iceberg for the fatigued Robin, whose eyes widened in shock as he gazed at what kind of monstrosity was about to emerge from underground.

Slowly but surely, the monster began to reveal itself, its left shoulder the first visible part. Like its arm, it seemed that the bulk of its entire body was composed of gnarled tree roots, along with a wide variety of leaves that clothed its exterior.

"So I decided to invest in a little…._home security_?" came her playful purr, as the behemoth finally revealed itself.

Crawling out of the hole, Robin himself felt threatened as he gazed at the sheer scope of it. Standing at at least 10 feet, the monstrosity was a walking tractor. Its fully realized appearance was truly a marvel for the naked eye.

Its entire body was a mixture of gnarled tree roots making up its skeleton, vines wrapped around its various joints to keep it together, and leaves along with moss to give it a more fleshed out appearance. The floral behemoth experimentally took a few steps forward, getting used to its mobility.

The head was a monstrosity all on its own. Hazel eyes gazing down at the Boy Wonder, it lacked any other facial feature except for a mouth. Jagged planks of wood made up its "teeth," if even that.

As Robin stumbled backwards, he realized that perhaps Oracle was right, that Ivy was too powerful for even him to handle alone. Perhaps the Titan overdose gave her an insight on the true power that she wields over the floral kingdom, and that she has become too strong for even him to contend with.

But then again, his instincts told him otherwise.

"A new creation, Robin. What do you think?" she laughed, noticing his shocked expression.

Before he could tell he what he indeed "thought" of the behemoth, he plant monster suddenly roared at him, its voice echoing throughout the lobby.

"Me and my big mouth," he murmured, as the behemoth started to stalk towards him, its fists clenched and a hint of a smile on its mouth.

His first priority was simple: destroy it by outsmarting it. The only problem, he didn't even know how to beat it, if even that could be done. His opponent was nearly invulnerable, unable to feel pain, but just as able to deal it.

Once the behemoth got within striking range, it did exactly that, swinging at him wildly with a massive right hand.

The fist would've decapitated him upon impact, but luckily the Boy Wonder used his agility to his advantage, easily ducking underneath its armpit. Rolling to his feet, he quickly hurled three subsequent shurikens into its right side.

The behemoth merely flicked the projectiles off its sides, the metal shurikens harmlessly clanging to the ground.

Robin narrowed his eyes, but decided to enlist a different strategy.

Turning back to the Boy Wonder, the plant monster swung at him again, but this time he had a different counterattack. Robin easily threw himself backwards as the giant's fist swung through the air, inadvertently carrying the giant forward in the process. Only when he threw himself backwards, he extended his bo staff so that it would plant itself firmly into the ground.

In a stunning display of agility, the Boy Wonder used the bo staff as a makeshift pole, letting his momentum carry him around in a full 360. Both hands wrapped around the staff as he spun back towards the now reeling plant monster, Robin surprised the behemoth with a boot to the face, the toe of his shoe slamming into its chin, the momentum of the blow sending it reeling backwards.

While the blow managed to stagger the giant, it mostly seemed to irritate it. But before the plant monster could retaliate, Robin cracked his bo staff off the side of its head, resulting in a satisfying thud as the metal bounced off of the gnarled tree roots.

He smiled as the momentum from the blow literally broke its neck, the staff slamming into its neck so hard that it twisted its neck counterclockwise. That blow seemed to at least stun the monster, but alas, it was not to be.

Soon his hubris turned to horror, as its neck suddenly craned back towards him, creating a sinister bit of imagery as its head twisted back in place.

Shaken but not undeterred, Robin tried again, but this time the behemoth was prepared. Just as he started to lay a crucial blow right through its jugular with his staff, the behemoth suddenly sprang into action, even surprising the Boy Wonder. It expertly caught the staff in mid-air, right in the middle of his thrust.

Robin's eyes widened in surprise, as its gigantic fingers wrapped around the other end of his staff, keeping him anchored to it.

He tugged frantically to reclaim his staff, but its grip was simply too strong, even for him to overcome.

"Oh, you gotta be kidding me," he muttered to himself, as it cocked its other fist over its shoulder, preparing to return the favor.

But before he could think of anything else, the behemoth slammed its fist into his stomach, the sheer impact behind the punch sending him flying backwards.

His body doubled over in mid-air as he was launched through the air, before quite emphatically landing on his neck, before the momentum caused him to flip over on his stomach.

Ivy's playful laughter echoed throughout the hotel, as he struggled to stand up, his vision still filled with stars from the fall itself. Clutching his stomach sorely, he mentally thanked the chest-plate he was wearing, for without it he'd be counting five broken ribs right about now.

"What's wrong, bird boy? Bit off more than you can chew?" Ivy sneered from her throne, clearly relishing in his size disadvantage.

His legs still wobbly, he managed to push himself up to one knee, and glared irritably at the behemoth. The plant monster almost nonchalantly tossed his bo staff overhead, the metal clanging against the floor.

Now stripped of his staff, he had to come up with a plan to get it back, the only problem being the giant-sized obstacle in front of him. Gritted his teeth angrily, he stared first at the fastly approaching monster, then the bo staff, then Ivy, who leered at him from her throne.

The behemoth was now meters away, but he needed a way to get through or at least past the giant, to get to his bo staff. The only problem, was _how_.

"Scared, little birdy? Batman isn't here to save you this time. What are you gonna do?" she purred, just before he reached into his utility belt.

Producing his grappling hook, he fired the gadget at the monster just as it raised another fist, the hook flying through the air before impaling the behemoth right through the chest. The cable held firm as the metal hook embedded itself within the mobile ecosystem, propelling the Boy Wonder forward.

Almost immediately, he was launched towards the plant monster, maneuvering his body in mid-air so that his feet would hit first.

His feet slamming into its stomach with momentum at his side, his hopes sank at any indication of even staggering the brute, whose feet remained planted on the ground.

If anything, the zip kick did more harm to him. To his utter horror, he realized that the roots that made up the behemoth had also swallowed his grappling hook whole, the metallic gadget disappearing within a maze of moss and tree roots. And to further complicate things, he was stuck as well.

The roots had already wrapped around his ankles, keeping him forcibly tethered to the behemoth whether he liked it or not. He struggled furiously, but it seemed that the more he did, the faster the roots curled around his legs.

Producing a shuriken in one hand, he stabbed the brute repeatedly in the stomach with it, before a vine uncoiled from its shoulder before wrapping around his wrist. He struggled, but before he knew it, the vine pinned his arm against its armpit.

As if following its example, more vines loosened themselves from its body and began wrapping around his, first his torso then his neck as well. He shook his head violently as it was being forcibly pressed against the gnarled tree roots.

What made things even worse was Ivy's seductive laughter which rang out even in his head, threatening to break his concentration.

"I think bird boy's in for another lesson in pain, wouldn't you agree darling?" Ivy laughed.

Obeying its mother's demand, the behemoth grabbed his throat in one hand, causing him to instantly gag and struggle to breathe. Both arms trying to pry its boulder of a hand off of his neck, he soon found his efforts futile, as the monster easily plucked him from his stomach despite his protests.

His fists pounded the monster's hand relentlessly, but those didn't even seem to faze the monster, who only tightened his grip on Robin's throat.

Finally, Robin just let his body grow limp, instead reserving his energy instead of fighting a losing battle. He knew that he couldn't forcibly fight his way out of this, so he had to use his head, think of more strategies. Letting his arms drop by his sides, he felt his spare shuriken slide down from his right gauntlet and onto his awaiting palm.

The monster might've taken his complacency for weakness, and turned back to his mother, who merely nodded at him. Cocking its other fist behind it, it prepared to finish off the Boy Wonder once and for all.

But just before it could deal the finishing blow, Robin suddenly opened his eyes, and with a smile on his face, hurled the shuriken right into its eye.

The monster wailed in pain as the projectile embedded itself within its eye socket, half of the shuriken already buried deep within its head. The pain must've been so excruciating that it loosened its grip over Robin.

"No! What are you doing?" Ivy cried out, as the monster reeled backwards, one hand trying to rip the shuriken out of its eye.

"Playing dirty," he smiled, before prying the behemoth's giant fingers off him easily, and now with renewed strength.

Wiggling himself out of its death grip, he kicked off its face with both feet, allowing for a smooth backflip through the air before landing gracefully on the floor, smiling from corner to corner.

It roared at him in turn, one hand still planted over its eye socket. In a blind rage, the monster lunged at him with its free hand, but this time Robin was ready.

With the early advantage, Robin ran back towards him, eyeing his fallen bo staff. But just before the two could butt heads, he instead slid right between its legs, skidding across the floor behind it.

Re-emerging behind it, he made a dive for the staff, and rolled to his feet with the weapon in tow, just as the monster twirled around to glare at him again.

"Now lets try this again, big boy," he smiled, before running at the wounded behemoth, his bo staff in one hand.

The behemoth swung at him again with its massive fist, but this time Robin used his own momentum against him. Obviously acting with rage, the monster foolishly put all of its body weight behind the move that would've certainly decapitated the vigilante. But instead, Robin ducked, the fist whistling harmlessly above his head. In doing so, the monster involuntarily stumbled forwards, before losing its balance and falling down to one knee.

Robin launched himself up in the air by kicking off its knee. Just before he could land behind him, Robin instead wrapped his bo staff around its neck, now hitching a ride atop the brute.

"Stop him!" Ivy shrieked hysterically, pointing at him desperately, as the monster was still oblivious to what was happening.

His legs swinging back and forth like a ragdoll, he could just barely hang on to the behemoth, who was just now becoming aware of his presence.

It thrashed around like a human earthquake, shaking violently from left to right, threatening to knock Robin off. But somehow, the hero remained vigilant, refusing to let go.

His time quickly running out, Robin quickly noticed the behemoth's weak spot, a mossy patch right below its neck that no doubt led to his heart. Unprotected by tree roots, it was his best chance at taking the behemoth down.

"No please, don't hurt my baby!" Ivy cried, unknowingly confirming that this was its weak spot.

Producing a shuriken in one hand, he quickly drove the projectile right through the patch just as vines started to peel off its skin and attack him. Pushing the shuriken all the way in, he thought that his effort was for naught, until he heard the Ivy wail in pain.

Its body suddenly growing rigid, the behemoth buckled, dropping down to both knees, with the Boy Wonder still hanging on to him. He barely managed to pull out his shuriken, which by sheer luck, had an orb harpooned right through the blade.

As soon as he did so, the monster fell facefirst to the floor, the moss that clothed it suddenly dissolving back underground. Its roots that held it together unraveled and spread out as well. As it would seem, that orb seemed to be the only thing holding the behemoth together, literally.

Wiping a bead of sweat from his forehead, Robin plunged his hand into the remnants of the behemoth before pulling out his coveted grappling hook, the metal shining in his hand.

Stepping over the dissolved remains, he glared at Ivy, who seethed at him resentfully.

"You're no better than Batman," she snapped at him, as if that was some kind of insult.

"Thanks, I get that a lot," he smiled back in return.

"You're not gonna like what happens next, Boy Wonder," she seethed simply, before flicking her fingers at him.


	8. Seeds of Arkham: Part 4

Not wanting to fight another one of Ivy's pawns, Robin quickly fired his grappling hook, the metallic end ensnaring a metal slab of rebar that was sticking out of the ceiling's infrastructure. Upon wrapping around it, the hook instantly propelled him up in the air, taking Ivy by surprise.

Just when he was about to reach the ceiling, Robin retracted the metal hook, maneuvering his body in the air so he would be aimed directly at her throne. His cape assumed its more rigid form as he glided towards the plant queen.

"_Noooooo!" _Ivy desperately summoned two spare vines to her aid, the thorned plants exploding out of the ground in front of her throne and shooting towards him.

But even their interference could not deter the resilient Robin, who easily slashed through them both in one clean slice with his bo staff. Folding back his cape in order to do so, Robin instead focused most of his energy positioning himself so that his feet would land first, directly on the temptress.

Before she summon any more of her plants, Robin intercepted her from mid-air, slamming both feet into her stomach as he landed.

With a cry, Ivy fell from her throne, landing roughly on the ground below them with a sickening thud. Her body instantly crumpled atop the flowerbed which had instantly materialized to cushion her fall.

Her beautiful face now smeared by a vengeful snarl, she seethed contemptuously at the Boy Wonder as he landed gracefully on her throne, expertly brandishing his bo staff in the process.

"Foolish boy! I'll feed you to my babies for that," she sneered venomously, only for Robin to flash her a taunting smile in response.

"Play time's over Ivy! Time to go back to Blackgate," he declared heroically, a look of triumph on his face as he regarded the downed Ivy.

"Like I told the other meat-sacks who tried to take me back to that dreadful place, over your dead body!" she snarled in return.

As to prove her point, the temptress gestured wildly at him, causing the leaves beneath him to spread apart, allowing for several massive tree roots to burst through the floor.

Cursing at himself for letting his overconfidence get the better of him, the third Robin soon found himself victim to Ivy's "babies," this time in the form of several roots that wrapped around his ankles, shackling him to the ground.

Robin instinctively lashed out at them with a few well-aimed shots, but the staff only succeeded in accelerating the process, causing the roots to continue constricting around his legs. Further complicating his escape plan, a duo of thorny vines shot out of the ground as well, snaking around his forearms.

"But then again, I think I like you better…._alive_," came her sultry voice, but that was quickly blocked out by his muffled yelps of pain.

He winced in pain as the sharpened thorns from the vines pricked his suit, starting to dig their way into his flesh, along with the roots that shackled his ankles together. To add further insult to injury, he could no longer use his bo staff, as the vines had strategically bound his arms to his torso, thus severely limiting his swinging range.

As the vines continued to slither around the Boy Wonder's writhing body, he could feel his breath being literally drained, the vines now wrapped around his torso and waist several times over. The thorns punished him accordingly, inflicting him with continuous doses of pain every time he struggled.

"Can't….get...free," he gasped, his breath depleting between every wheez. He could feel his voice cracking as well, the vines continuing to tighten around his torso.

"Make him pay my children, break him in two," Ivy chided, symbolically clenching her fist, causing the plants would do the same to the restrained Robin.

The plants complied, strengthening their vice grip over him. He could feel his insides practically squeezing out of his skeleton as the vines wrapped around his torso, crushing him.

He continued to grit his teeth, trying to contain his pained cries as if only to not let the seductress get any more spirited. Still, he found every breath he took to be harder and harder, and soon enough, he found himself gasping for every wisp of air as the vines constricted around his torso, limiting his breathing.

He attempted to pry the vines off with both hands, but to no avail. They were practically glued to his limbs, only tightening when he attempted to struggle.

"Does it hurt love?" she taunted, relishing in his predicament as the vines continued to tighten, causing Robin to audibly yelp. What added more salt to the wound was the fact that the spikes on the vine continued to dig into his suit as they tightened, the jagged edges starting to cut into his bare skin.

"Let's see how many feathers I need to pluck to make you squeal, bird boy!" she sneered, relishing over his agonized shrieks of pain.

The thorns now digging into his flesh, he was starting to lose feeling in his arms thanks to the ever increasing tightening by the vines. They were constricting around his torso at a breakneck pace, causing him to mentally scratch his inventory for any of his gadgets that could get him out of this predicament.

"_The knife_," he suddenly thought to himself, instantly remembering one of the spare knives that he kept in his utility belt in case of a situation like this. His shurikens would easily give himself away, and the Explosive Gel was a definitive no-no, but if he could keep Ivy at bay, he could use the knife to do it.

Adrenaline running through his veins, Robin instinctively reached into his utility belt, his fingers desperately grabbing at his leather pockets. At this point, he was starting to lose feeling in them, but the resilient nature of the Boy Wonder won out, at least for now.

Just as his fingers closed around his spare knife, the vines squeezed even harder, causing him to wheeze out loud. Unable to breathe, he practically collapsed, letting his body conserve as a means to conserve energy. He nearly dropped the knife in the process, but managed to hang on.

"That's enough for now dears. We don't want to roughen up our new play toy, now do we?" Ivy grinned overconfidently.

The vines loosened their hold on him, obeying Ivy's commands. Still, it might've been too late for the teenaged vigilante, as he lurched forward, his body limp.

He could feel their vice grip loosening, but only enough for him to breathe again, and he gladly obliged, hastily taking in deep breaths. At this point, he could hardly feel anything below the waist, but that was the least of his worries.

He was now at the mercy of the toxic temptress herself, but more importantly, right within the range of her dreaded pheromones.

"Besides, this isn't just payback, it's _personal_," she added rather seductively, as the vines holding him lowered to the ground, the tree roots almost completely retracting back underground as they did so.

Sensing his resiliency crumpling, the vines loosened their hold over him, only keeping three vines still wrapped around his torso and the rest holding his head in place.

He snarled irritably as Ivy started to clamber to her feet, her legs wobbly but withstanding. Resting on one knee for a second, she noticed his agitated scowl and flashed him a seductive grin in return

"What's wrong Robin? Did you really think that you could handle me all by yourself? Did you really think that I would be that easy to beat?" she purred, laughing girlishly as he spat at her defiantly.

"If you think these weeds will hold me Ivy, then you're dumber than you look," he retorted in kind, causing her to laugh ecstatically.

"Good point. I suppose that we'll have to make you a big more…..._submissive_, wouldn't you say?" she smiled, putting her finger to her mouth almost like she was thinking. Finally, her eyes lit up excitement, and she gestured towards him almost bemusedly.

Before he could react, another vine shot out of the ground in front of him, the mouth adorned with what looked like a opening to a fire extinguisher. The mouth was curved, riddled with thorns, but that wasn't the thing that caused Robin's eyes to widen in fear. The horn-shaped opening could only mean one thing, and one thing only.

That realization alone caused him to renew his struggles against the vines, violently shaking his head left and right. But despite his renewed ferocity, the vines holding him merely tightened their hold on him, the thorns digging even further into his exposed flesh.

He had only managed to buy himself ten precious seconds before a vine wrapped around his forehead, the thorns pricking his eyebrows. Howling in pain, his head was forced to stare at the pheromone-spewing vine, the other vine forming a thorny crown under his hood.

"_Gahhh!"_ The third Robin gagged and coughed as the vine released a faceful of the emotionally-controlling pheromones directly in his face. The vine immediately retracting into the ground afterwards, Robin soon found his vision blurred by the influx of pheromones, the gas cloud seeping through his visor and polluting his well-disciplined mind.

While his initial struggles were violent and energetic, his later struggles would become more subdued, almost sluggish in manner as the pheromones started to take hold over his body. He could feel his body neck down starting to turn into jelly, and his head was livid with a wicked headache.

"That's it little Robin! Keep fighting it! Once you run out of energy to flap your cute little wings, then you're mine!" came Ivy's seductive voice.

He darted his head left to right to try to pinpoint the direction of the voice, but to no avail. Even the sound of her sultry voice was starting to sound pleasant, euphoric even, to him. He was even beginning to think of Ivy, visualizing her in all her floral glory, almost like a supermodel.

The pheromone cloud had dissipated, but they had taken full hold over the resilient yet weary Boy Wonder, who was starting to feel the full effects of the pheromones, much to his utter chagrin.

"Don't be afraid, darling! Your mind, your body, now belongs to me. You, belong to me!" came her alluring sneer, her words slurring in his mind.

Even while struggling, the new Robin couldn't help but stare at the voluptuous vixen as she sauntered towards him, an almost guilty pleasure. Unfortunately for him, that was merely what he needed to do to expedite the effects of the pheromones.

After briefly snarling at her, he found his eyes suddenly dart back towards her, as if giving her a double take. Only this time, he found that he couldn't avert his eyes from the deadly snare of Poison Ivy.

The pheromones now definitely taking effect, he soon found his vision clouded, an almost god-like aura surrounding the vixen as he briefly snarled at her, his frown quickly melting into an involuntary grin. That same god-like aura seemed to mask her poison-laced lips and non humanlike appearance, instead causing the fazed hero to see Ivy closely resembling a fashion supermodel, much less a plant-human hybrid.  
Despite his resilient nature, the teenaged vigilante couldn't help but feel a stinge of admiration, almost lust, for the floral fatale, his eyes traveling down her curvaceous body as he involuntarily gazed at her.

He could feel his mouth almost gape open with saliva as he stared at her, trying to hold back the saliva that was now dripping from his lips. Just glaring at Ivy for a second was like looking at the face of beauty herself: lean hips, long slender legs, a barely clothed torso that only increased the viewer's lust, florid lips that almost beckoned contact, the _perfect body_. For the _perfect woman_.

Her wicked yet seductive laughter echoes throughout the hotel lobby, as she continued to approach him. He couldn't help but examine her every mannerism, from her model-like strut to her seductive laughter.

"And to think I wasted all this time making myself look presentable for ol' brooding and handsome," she smiled, her hips swaying as she continued sauntering towards him.

He soon found himself limp in the vines, almost welcoming his captivity, as it granted him more time to marvel at Ivy, who merely flashed him a seductive grin.

"Still, I suppose I'll have to make do. After all, if you're half the man that Batman is, then you'll do just fine," she added, her eyes glittering mischievously as she continued walking towards him, taking her time as if she was a model on the catwalk and he her admiring fan.

Finally, she came to a dramatic stop next to him, almost showcasing her attractive physique.

With one hand, she lifted up his chin with her fingers, smirking as he glared at her resentfully. His face was riddled with bruises and cuts courtesy of her "homeland security."

She merely smirked at his plight, releasing an exotic yet girlish laugh that caused the now enamored Robin to cringe.

"Awww, did my babies rough you up too much Robin? Oh my poor darling. So weak, so _pathetic_," she sneered, stroking his cheek affectionately.

He was about to reply when he found himself not able to. He was still completely entranced by Ivy's pheromones, gazing almost dreamily at her beautiful yet poison-laced lips as they curved into a mocking sneer.

Even Ivy noticed his infatuated expression, and smirked, placing one hand on her hips as she took a step back.

"Oh, does the Boy Blunder like what he sees? Go on dear, I don't mind when people stare," she taunted.

It took his remaining willpower not to oblige to her tempting offer, as he found her words almost commanding him to do so. She spoke them with such fluidity, such authority, that he could literally feel the words trying to escape out of his mouth.

Ivy noticed his conflicted expression, and laughed as she stroked the side of his face with one finger, running her adorned yet slightly smudged nails ever gently down his bruised cheek.

"It's quite alright darling! I know how lonely it must be here in Arkham City with such riffraff as that murderer, that child-killer Batman, and the rest of the meat! But don't worry about them dear, I'm right here. And Ivy's not going anywhere!" she purred, taking full advantage of his infatuated state.

Robin soon found himself powerless to stop Ivy from pampering him, stroking his bruised cheek and caressing his intoxicating mind with her elegant voice. Soon, she began running her hand down his chest, circling his R insignia.

"You sure know how to give a girl a good time, bird boy. And seeing you like this, I think you _wanted_ to be caught," she purred.

His fists clenched instinctively as he tried to avert his gaze with the temptress, literary writhing in pain as he fought his body's instinctive responses to her. Wincing thanks to the tug-of-war occurring between mind and body, Robin finally managed to tap into his resiliency by rolling his head to the right, momentarily breaking eye contact with her.

But Ivy would be just as resilient as the Boy Wonder.

"Why fight it Robin, when you can embrace Mother Nature, as the rest of your kind have so willingly? After all, you just can't stop thinking about me, can you? Is my little bird boy having…._second thoughts_?" she purred seductively, her words rolling off her tongue with the most fluid of ease yet the layered roughness of a dominant woman.

Her words had just barely bounced off his resilient mind, whose acuity had been perfected by years of training under the tutelage of the Dark Knight himself.

Giggling to herself, she stood on her tiptoes, maneuvering her curvaceous body around him so that she could wrap one leg around his torso. He flinched instinctively, but Ivy leaned in before he could react more.

"Come on darling, give in! You know you want to, you know you have to!" she whispered, clearly relishing in his struggles.

He could feel her organic pheromones literary peeling off her body and clouding his vision. He could feel his lips involuntarily opening, almost welcoming the sultry seductress. But only barely, by the tip of his tongue, was he able to suppress his emotionally charged lust for the plant queen, instead biting his tongue roughly.

"Why die a hero like your beloved Dark Knight will soon enough Robin, when you can live, and reap the rewards of Arkham City?" she continued, continuing to pressure him.

"N-n-no! I won't!" he finally gasped, his voice nearly cracking from his conflicting emotions.

"Why not love? Because the big bad Batman said so? You're so….._cliche_. Besides, he isn't watching, and you've had such a long, hard time here in Arkham City. Why not get a little….._naughty_?" she purred, running her red-painted fingernails down his face ever affectionately.

Before he could answer again, she suddenly leaned in towards him, right within her patented kissing range, her dreaded lips literally inches away from his.

"_You know you want to_," she added, relishing in his pained expression.

It took all of his willpower not to succumb to her demands, not to give in. And in doing so, he felt his mind starting to clear, the goddess-like aura surrounding Ivy starting to dissipate.

"No!" he finally blurted out, violently lurching his head backwards to avoid her deadly liplock. In doing so, he seemed to escape from the brunt of her patented pheromones, his previous sexualized image of the plant queen now reverting back to her real vision, her normal self finally revealing itself.

Instead of visualizing the god-like temptation that was Poison Ivy, he instead gazed at a very battered Pamela Isley, the former botanist. Her _Arkham City_ jacket was almost in tatters, and her skin color was a darker shade of green, perhaps a side effect of the Titan overdose. Still, while her face glimmered with her abnormal radiant beauty, her body was clearly paying the price for it.

"What's wrong Robin? I don't bite," she pouted playfully, almost upset that Robin managed to fight out of her pheromones.

His forehead was damp with sweat, but his vision felt clearer than ever. He was mentally fatigued from successfully paying Ivy's pheromones, but he could start feeling his limbs again. Finally, he turned to Ivy, who merely glared at him with a seductive yet slightly irritated expression.

"You're a criminal...a menace," he snarled between hurried breaths.

"Awwww, did Batman tell you all those hurtful things about me? He's so judgmental, you know. So what if I've killed a few heartless businessmen and backstabbing scientists in my life? It's not like anyone will miss them," she chided, running her finger down his chest.

"They had friends...families...you killed them in cold blood," he retorted again, much to her utter apathy.

"Maybe they should've thought of that before they decided to kill my children, who were just as innocent as the people of Gotham. I simply repaid the favor," she shrugged almost nonchalantly.

"By killing innocent people?"

"Sometimes, the rotten apple spoils the bunch. You act like I've done something wrong dear," she smiled, tilting her head sideways.

"You've killed hundreds of people, endangered thousands more with your spores. And now, I see you for what you truly are, a monster," he declared resiliently, much to her chagrin.

"Don't let my little 'helpers' deceive you dear, I'm just as desirable in reality as I am in your little fantasies. That was merely a taste of what I can offer you Robin, why not go for the main course?" she laughed, resting a hand on her hips as she stood in front of the captive Robin.

"Because I'm not some lovesick inmate. You can't control me, Ivy. And in case you haven't noticed, your little 'lovedust' doesn't work on me!" he retorted, finally regaining feeling in his arms.

His words seemed to resonate with Ivy, who after hearing them, stepped back to examine his sober yet infuriated expression. Her eyes studied him, before her face suddenly lit up with an idea.

"Good point Boy Blunder. Let's try this again, shall we?" she smiled.

Before he could react, the unpredictable eco-terrorist suddenly breathed into his face, releasing another patch of her pheromones, this time he was right in the blast-zone.

He coughed and gagged, but the pheromones had already taken its hold over him. Images of Ivy started to resurface in his head again, but this time, he was prepared.

Utilizing his mental discipline to its fullest extent, he began blocking them out of his head, instead substituting memories of his greatest moments as Robin in their place. Now, visions of his first night as Robin, saving the original dynamic duo from the tyranny of Two-Face, and stopping Clayface with Batman flooded his mind. These images, coupled with his "never-say-die" attitude, started to overcome the pheromones.

"_No one has doubted your abilities, your talents Tim! But it takes more than a spiffy outfit and flashy gizmos to beat the bad guys! You need to have heart, determination, the drive necessary to do what's right, no matter what!_" Barbara had once told him, giving him even more fuel to light the fire inside of him.

Gritting your teeth, he started to shake his head violently, blocking out his emotionally-charged lust for the plant queen. Despite the difficulty, his head was starting to clear, but Ivy wouldn't go down without a fight.

"Your wings are clipped little birdy! You're ours now, and you'll stay that way!" came her sultry yet conniving voice, nearly breaking his concentration.

But despite this minor hiccup, he stayed the course, and sure enough, images of Ivy disappeared from his mind altogether. He smiled to himself as he broke free of her pheromones, returning him back to reality.

"_But she doesn't know that_," he suddenly thought to himself, and quickly concocted a counter-attack.

In a twist of irony, Robin fooled the floral witch himself, letting his body grow limp and subservient. He loosened his muscles, letting his head droop down convincingly. He silently prayed, hoping that Ivy would take the bait.

Thankfully, she did, gleefully laughing at the Boy Wonder's evident defeat by her hand. As to celebrate her victory, she symbolically stroked Robin's unmoving head with her fingers, her body absolutely brimming with excitement at this revelation.

"Noone can resist Poison Ivy Robin. Not even yo-" she started to declare triumphantly, before Robin suddenly lifted his head with renewed vigilance.

Before she could even make a move, the resilient Robin thrust himself forward, catching the smug Ivy off guard with a brutal headbutt to her face. As his head connected with her face, he could feel a sickening crunch over the top of his hood, a distinct sound of flesh meeting flesh.

With a cry, Ivy fell on her backside, immediately clutching her nose. He could spot a line of chlorophyll-colored blood seeping through her fingers, indicative of a broken nose. As she howled in pain, Robin took advantage of her hubris to reveal his own ace in the hole.

Grunting heavily, he managed to free his wrist, and without further ado, flipped out the pocketknife and immediately stabbed it through the larger vines. The liquid squirted onto his sides, but he paid it no mind, instead bringing the blade upwards while simultaneously cutting through the vines like Play-Doh.

Oblivious to his escape, the vines were already loosening their grip over him as some of them started to reach out to the stunned Ivy, her blood now staining the floor as it continued to seep through her fingers.

"What have you done to me boy?" she demanded, her hands still wrapped around her bloody nose. Her previous seductive purr and girlish laughter were now absent, instead replacing by an infuriated snarl.

"You mess with my head Ivy, and I'll mess with yours," he sneered, as she glared up at him resentfully. He could feel the vines prickling his arms with the thorns, but he was relentless in his struggle to get free, maneuvering the blade around his vine to sever the remaining vines.

Finally, Robin was finally able to slice through the largest vine still wrapped around him, and with that freed his entire torso. Now with both arms free, he ripped out the last remaining roots still wrapped around his waist before nearly collapsing to the floor.

He managed to catch himself on all fours, but rewarded his diligence with a few needed breaths, before reassembling himself on both feet.

He sorely rubbed the now bare spot on his shoulder armor where the vines had pierced through his shoulder armor, his bare skin visible. There was a small laceration quickly forming on his shoulder, but he tried to shrug it off, at least for now.

Instead, he turned to the resentful Ivy, who backed away slowly as he narrowed his gaze at him, crouching down to pick up his fallen bo staff.

With an eager smile, he extended the staff, twirling it around expertly as he stalked towards the downed Ivy.

She smartly started to scurry away from him on her elbows, only enlarging the smile on his face as he twirled the staff on one hand, basking in her seething glare.

"You think you've won little Robin? You've merely made things more difficult for yourself. And since you've so vehemently declined my offer, I'm going to make you bleed before you become one with nature!" she snarled angrily.

"Not gonna happen Ivy! I told you that there were two ways you were going back to Blackgate. And after that, I'm personally itching towards Option B," he smiled confidently, brandishing his staff.

Oblivious to the Boy Wonder, Ivy was secretly planning her counter-offensive on him, _in spades_. As he stalked towards her, her hand coincidentally brushed against one of her fallen vines, or at least, one of its halves. As soon as her fingers touched its thorny sides, she instantly closed her fist around it, hiding it from the unsuspecting Robin.

"Your arrogance is succeeded only by your stupidity, boy, if you still think that I would allow myself to be detained by the likes of you," she ultimately refused, her hand tightening around the vine.

"Suit yourself," he shrugged almost nonchalantly before lunging at her, his bo staff aimed towards a downward position to finish off the plant queen.

Ivy desperately gestured towards him just as he was about to land the finishing blow, causing two vines to instantly burst out of the ground to protect their wounded mother.

Maneuvering his body around just in time, Robin was able to deflect the two vines in one fluid slashing motion with his bo staff, the metallic pole parrying off the thorny sides.

Using the momentary distraction to her advantage, Ivy tightened her grasp over the discarded vine.

Finally, with one clean slice, Robin was able to sever the two vines, slashing his bo staff through their necks like they made of Play-Doh. As the now severed remnants of the vines flopped to the ground, he turned towards the seemingly cowering Ivy, who remained motionless.

He quickly glanced from left to right to make sure Ivy didn't have any more "surprises" up her sleeve, before focusing his attention on her.

"Looks like your babies are tired fighting your own battles Ivy," he remarked, preparing to deal the _coup de grace_ once again.

"Yes well, sometimes if you want something done right, you have to do it yourself," she sighed, before lunging at him abruptly, taking him by surprise.

"Hah!" came her frenzied cry as she snapped the vine towards him, the thorny vine cracking off of the side of his head.

A cruel slap in the face, the third Robin staggered backwards as the vine slashed him in the face, an angry bruise blooming in his left cheekbone. His hands numbly touching the spot where flesh met thorn, he winced loudly as he felt an angry welch starting to form on his cheekbone.

Brandishing the vine like a horse whip, Ivy smiled smugly as he took a few steps back, still reeling from the blow.

"Did you really think that I wouldn't be capable of getting my own hands dirty, little Robin?" she sneered.

Robin merely smirked as he rubbed the bruise, before returning the glare back to the voluptuous vixen.

"Well...not anymore, but I gotta say Ivy. I was expecting more!" he taunted in return, causing Ivy to snarl viciously before lunging at him.

She swung at him with the vine, but this time, the Boy Wonder was prepared, using her own blind rage against her.

Evading the vine just as it slashed through the air where his head had been mere seconds ago, he shot back up towards the vengeful vixen with a swift uppercut to the face, his fist smashing into her chin with enough force to rattle her teeth.

Staggering backwards groggily, Ivy wiped a line of blood from her mouth, a surprised look on her face.

"My turn," he smiled eagerly, before lunging at her.

Still reeling from his initial blow, Ivy almost out of instinct conjured up a wooden shield to halt the attacking vigilante, the five-foot wide collage of leaves and bark exploding out of the ground just as his staff was about to connect with her face.

His compact staff instead bouncing off the wall, he grunted in frustration before preparing for another blow.

However this time, a fist-shaped deviation suddenly pushed out of the protective shield, catching the Boy Wonder by surprise.

Literally punching him in the gut, the fist sent the Boy Wonder flying backwards, his body flailing wildly in mid-air before he barely managed to right himself upon landing. Using his right shoulder to instead roll to his feet, he slammed his bo staff to the ground to halt his momentum.

His eyes studying the plant queen, dozens of strategies flooded the Boy Wonder's mind as he tried to think of ways to stop Ivy, who seemingly had a counter for every strategy that he enlisted.

The wooden shield retreated back into the ground, revealing a very gleeful Ivy, who brandished her makeshift whip.

"You've improved since last time, Robin, I'll admit that. But not even you can defeat Mother Nature," she smiled overconfidently, seductively beckoning him forward.

"There's a first time for everything, Ivy," he smiled, before running at her yet again with the speed of a cheetah. He was focused on one thing: taking out Poison Ivy.

Her eyes focusing on his every moment, she used one hand to conjure up her creations at will.

Two wooden drills suddenly burst out of the ground no more than five seconds ahead of the Boy Wonder, the drills crossing each other as they formed a crude X.

Without thinking, he flipped over the obstacle, pressing one hand against the wood to keep his balanced in mid-air before somersaulting to his feet, much to the disdain of Poison Ivy.

She summoned two vines from the ceiling, the plants instantly understanding their "den mother's" bidding. They flew towards him, seemingly building towards a head-to-head collision between the two forces.

But instead, he broke into a frenzied slide through the floor, his back skidding across the moss covered pavement. The vines unintentionally flew right past him, revealing their true weak spots. With great pleasure, Robin decapitated them both with an overarching slashing motion with his bo staff, before returning to his feet.

"You just can't get enough of me, can you little birdy?" she snarled, irritated that the Boy Wonder had overcome her obstacles so easily. At this rate, a direct hit carried by his momentum would be the end of her.

In a last-ditch attempt to slow down Robin, she desperately gestured at the ground below him, creating a bush of roots that suddenly sprouted from the ground.

His feet tripping over the roots, he expertly maneuvered his body in mid-air so that his shoulder would hit the ground first.

Rolling to his feet before the roots could further ensnare him, Robin soon found himself face-to-face with the plant queen herself.

The irate Poison Ivy gritted her teeth angrily, as she was now forced to engage the Boy Wonder in hand-to-hand combat.

Cracking her makeshift whip at him just as he entered the appropriate range, Robin instead let the vine wrap around his bo staff, using her weapon to his advantage. Sidestepping so that the vine would miss him by a few inches, he held the bo staff in place of his head, the vine circling around his bo staff instead.

A surprised look on Ivy's face, he smiled before pulling the bo staff towards him, while subsequently yanking the startled Ivy towards him.

As she staggered towards him, he greeted her with a stiff jab to the stomach, his staff slamming into her abdomen.

She cried out in pain, but that was only the beginning. As she started to double over, he drilled the tip of his bo staff into her chin, before grasping the weapon with both hands. She stumbled backwards, her mouth bloody.

Her entire body groggy, he focused most of his energy into a final strike, a swift blow to the right side of her face.

Ivy crumpled to the floor almost riding on the wave of momentum caused by his three-move combo. As her head smacked against the unforgiving floor, Robin twirled the staff around expertly before approaching her.

She glared at him resentfully, before wiping a line of blood from her mouth.

"You're out of your element, Ivy!" he smiled, preparing for the _coup de grace_.

Her eyes widened as he prepared to bring down the staff on her, her hand desperately sweeping the floor around her for something to use. Just as he was about to finish her, her fingers closed around a mushroom cluster, which conveniently materialized out of the ground.

"Come now, Robin. You wouldn't hurt a poor, defenseless woman, now would you?" she purred, attempting to stall him.

"Wouldn't dream of it," he smirked, before lunging at her to deliver the finishing blow.

Almost out of desperation, she hurled the cluster at him just as his staff was about to connect with her face. The mushroom cluster exploded in mid-air, catching the Boy Wonder by surprise.

Out of pure instinct, the protege expertly lurched backwards as the mushroom cluster exploded right before his very eyes, releasing a cloud of Ivy's perfected spores. The spores gathered in a thick, smoke that accumulated in mid-air like a gas cloud.

Gagging profusely, he covered his exposed mouth with his forearm, preventing the spores from festering inside his body, but not before the putrid smell could enter through his nostrils, instantly causing him to gag.

The cloud had completely swamped his vision, even after he staggered after the full blast-zone. Squinting his eyes, he could barely make out Ivy's silhouette scurrying away, using the spores to cover her escape.

"What's wrong Robin? Something get in your eye?" came Ivy's taunting voice.

He quickly activated his Detective Mode, highlighting his surroundings in infrared vision.

Utilizing the alternate vision, he frantically scanned the area in front of him, while ripping the spore residue from his cowl with one hand. The gooey material remained stubborn in clinging to his visor, obscuring his eyesight.

With his vision obscured, he used his staff as a makeshift walking stick to try to pinpoint Ivy, while the other hand continued trying to pry the residue off his face. He appeared to be blindly waving his staff around, but really, he was letting his ears see for him, feeling her movements all around him.

He could feel the air whistling past his left side, and quickly span around to face her. Unfortunately for him, Ivy had been biding her time until the advantage presented itself, and in opportune fashion, suddenly made herself known.

Without warning, Ivy's fist slammed into his mouth, her bony knuckles embedding themselves in his cheekbone. He felt his teeth shake as he stumbled backwards, using his bo staff to regain balance.

Before he could even regain his sense of direction, Ivy punched him yet again in the face, sending him reeling backwards as he was forced to taste his own blood.

"That was for my babies," came her seething voice.

Recovering within seconds, he instinctively created distance between them. Taking the time to successfully rip the gooey residue from his face, he hurriedly refocused his visor, only to see Poison Ivy right in front of him, almost casually holding out her whip.

Twirling around before Robin could fully regain his composure, Ivy delivered a biting spinning heel kick to his face, her heel ramming into his cheek with renewed ferocity. As Robin lurched forward thanks to the momentum, the plant queen took advantage. Grabbing his hood with both hands, she drove her knee right into his nose, causing him to yelp in pain.

As he stumbled backwards groggily, Ivy tilted her head playfully, relishing in her physical dissection of the Boy Wonder.

"What's the matter, Boy Blunder? Did you really think I wouldn't be prepared? Did you really think you could beat me so easily?" she sneered, before coiling her whip over her shoulders.

Before he could answer her question, he was suddenly greeted by a swift slap to the face, her makeshift whip slashing across his face.

"Now in all fairness, the physicality bit was never a personal favorite of mine. But in your case Robin, I think I'll make an exception," she smiled while subsequently rubbing her shoulder, which had grown sore from the whiplash.

With a grunt, he staggered backwards, an immediate stinging starting to bloom in his right cheek. Barely able to catch himself on one knee, he rubbed the angry blotch forming on his cheek, narrowing his eyes at the now visible Ivy, who shot him a glare.

"Awww, did little Robin get a boo-boo?" came her taunting sneer, as she sauntered towards him. He could tell by her body language that she was relaxed, unhurried in pace. She knew that she

"My toothache's hit harder than you, Ivy," he spat in return, causing her mouth to curl into a gleaming sneer.

"Tsk tsk, I thought Batman would've taught you by now to respect your elders? I guess I have to teach you that lesson myself, bird boy," she cooed, stretching out her vine.

Before he could react, she suddenly snapped the whip at him yet again.

Unable to block it, he soon found himself on the receiving end of a harsh slap to the face in the form of the severed vine, its thorns pricking his skin in the process.

Now in a vulnerable kneeling position, his head swayed from left to right groggily, as Ivy approached him, a wide smile on her face.

"Had enough, little man?" she purred.

"Do your worst," he told her simply, his head too groggy to even process a counterattack at this point.

"Gladly," the vixen smiled, before whipping the vine at him yet again.

Only this time, the vine wrapped around his neck, the thorns digging through his body armor and pricking his skin. He tried to pry the vine off with one hand, but to no avail. The more he struggled, the tighter the vine constricted around his neck.

"Maybe you should've listened to what I said earlier, Boy Blunder. When you hurt my babies, _I…hurt…you_," she hissed, pausing between her last three words for emphasis.

She slowly coiled the vine back with both hands, simultaneously lifting Robin up to his feet and forcibly dragging him back to her. She smiled coyly as his feet dragged beneath him, still reeling from her previous blows.

"You've been a very naughty boy, Robin," she purred, as he continued staggering towards her, now within hitting range.

With that said, the vixen suddenly lifted her leg up in the air, and in a stunning act of flexibility from the plant queen, kicked the Boy Wonder right in the mouth with her foot, a powerful roundhouse kick.

The kick, delivered with surprisingly brute force by the plant queen herself, resulted in Robin falling backwards before landing hard on his shoulders, his mouth forced to taste the bitter concrete as he crumpled to the floor. A pain-filled throbbing instantly bloomed in his mouth, as he spat out a glob of blood, much to the villainess's utter delight.

His body skidded involuntarily across the floor for a few more seconds before he came to a rough stop, his chin bouncing off of the concrete.

"Mama spank!" Ivy called after him, in a singsong tone. A bright, almost girlish smile adorning her face, she took her time sauntering towards the downed Robin, a triumphant grin on her face as she rested the vine over her shoulders.

Hearing her footsteps grow nearer and nearer, Robin attempted to crawl away, to gain some sense of distance away from the plant queen. His previous swagger and overconfidence was now gone, replaced by an unwavering sense of fear, that the self-proclaimed goddess did have his number, and that he had underestimated Ivy's own strengths. A mistake that she had certainly capitalized on.

Before he could continue to ponder the gravitas of his predicament, the vengeful eco-terrorist stopped a foot away from his body, clicking her lips together disapprovingly, almost out of pity for Robin as he tried to push himself up with his elbows and knees.

"You never did learn to stay down," she mused, almost disappointed.

But before he could get any more than a few inches off the ground, Ivy drove her foot right between his shoulderblades, pushing him right back down. Her foot planted dominantly on his spine, Robin was forced to taste the floor yet again.

"Whatever shall I do with you, little Robin? After all, you came in her uninvited, tried to kill my poor children, and roughed me up a bit as well," she smirked, wiping a drop of blood from her mouth.

"I won't beg, Ivy," he spat out defiantly.

"No, I suppose not," she agreed dryly, before leaning in towards him, resting her arms on her knee. Her face appearing right next to his ears, she started to purse her bloodred lips towards his vulnerable face, then hesitated for a moment.

"I see now that your horribly misguided heroics would never let you give in and see the natural world as I do, at least not like this. But that doesn't mean I can't break you, Robin," she whispered in his ear, before standing back up.

"Yes, I am going to take great _pleasure_ in watching you squirm Robin, just as I will your beloved Dark Knight," she sneered, the ball of her foot grinding down on his back, causing him to wince in pain.

"But don't worry, Boy Blunder. I won't just stop with Batman. No, all the meat must pay for their crimes. You heroes are merely a hindrance that I will overcome along the way," she added, as he squirmed underneath her foot.

She merely laughed at his plight. Her eyes glimmered with a bemused twinkle, she pressed him right back down when he tried to rise up again.

"You just don't give up, do you bird boy?" she smirked, before casually examining her fingernails.

"And you just don't shut up, do you Ivy?" he retorted in kind.

"I think I'm going to miss your mouth most of all when I make you my pet, Robin," she purred softly, before pondering of various methods of torture to inflict upon him. On her peripheral vision, he could see her counting off ideas with her fingers, her brow concentrated in thought.

"No, that'll come later. But for now Boy Blunder, I want you to know why you, along with the rest of the meat-sacks, will soon fall victim to Mother Nature," she declared.

But, her overconfidence would soon become her undoing, as when Robin opened his eyes, he came across his bo staff, which was only an arm's length away. He also noticed how she was too preoccupied in her own monologue to notice it. Out of sheer desperation, he took one hand off her ankle and reached towards the bo staff, while Ivy continued to leer at him.

"You and your kind are too arrogant to realize that you are no longer the dominant species, that we have replaced you at the very top of the food chain. And your arrogance shall be your undoing, starting with the Batman."

"At the asylum, Batman thought he had defeated us, ended us once and for all. But little did he know, that we do not simply die, but _evolve_. We multiply in number, we grow more ruthless in tactics. Soon, we will be strong enough to destroy your precious Gotham!" she smiled, continuing to taunt him.

He paid her no mind, instead reaching out to the bo staff, his fingernails just centimeters away from grasping it.

"Still, it amazes me little Robin, how you thought your little playthings would be enough to defeat me," she laughed triumphantly, just as he managed to grasp the handle.

"_Yes_!" he breathed silently, just as his fingers closed around it.

"After all, you never were a _fast_ learner," she cooed, as he maintained a tighter grip over the bo staff.

"Actually, I'm smarter than you think Ivy," he smiled, before bringing the bo staff up to her face.

In one fluid motion, Robin outsmarted the seductress, using her own overconfidence against her to prepare a counteroffensive in the form of his trusty bo staff, his signature weapon. Before she could even flinch, Robin smacked her right between the eyes with it, the metal rod bouncing seamlessly off her forehead just before she could utter another world.

The hit literally taking the words out of her mouth, she stumbled backwards almost in a drunken stupor, her entire body swaying back and forth groggily. He flipped over on his back, as Ivy continued to reel backwards.

Bringing both of his knees up to his chest, he slammed both feet into her chest, sending her backwards in a heap.

This time however, Ivy managed to land on her shoulder, her elbows landing on the floor first to protect her head. Rolling on her belly, she quickly grabbed the severed vine before clambering to her feet clumsily.

Clutching his throat for a second, the teenaged Boy Wonder coughed a bit before rising to his feet, his bo staff in one hand and a clenched fist in the other. Robin then turned to Ivy, who merely flashed him a condescending grin.

"You're slowing down, Boy Blunder!" she sang playfully, still managing to get under his skin.

"For once, you're right. How about we end this, Ivy? Right here, right now," he agreed in return, before running at her with renewed force.

Smiling, she flickered her fingers at him, causing an empathetic trembling in the ground beneath him. Indicative of an earthquake, much less a vine, the rumbling only increased the closer he got to her.

Just as he was upon her, he felt the ground beneath him literally explode, and instinctively rolled to the side as an entire row of wooden spikes erupted from the ground, each pair crossing in a crude X. He just barely managed to avoid a drill that nearly impaled his legs, throwing all of his body weight to the right.

Using his right shoulder to balance his body weight for a second, he quickly rolled to his feet with ease, much to the delight of the plant queen.

A smile on her face, she cracked the whip at him without even giving him a moment's respite.

Almost by instinct, he blocked the blow with his bo staff, the vine wrapping around his staff instead of his neck. But perhaps, that was what the plant queen truly wanted.

This time however, Ivy let the vine wrap around his staff several times over, before yanking it back, using his own technique against him. Luckily, Ivy wasn't strong enough to pull his own body weight, but the same couldn't be said for his bo staff.

It flew out of his fingers within seconds, Ivy nearly tripping over her feet as she tore the staff away from his grasp.

The staff instead clanged harmlessly to the ground, leaving the Boy Wonder unarmed, at least for the moment.

"Now, what are you going to do?" she sneered, noticing his slightly irritable expression.

Capitalizing on the certain turn of the tables, she lifted her makeshift whip to finish him off, a victorious smile painted on her battered face.

Resorting to alternative measures, Robin quickly reached into his utility belt, producing a shuriken within seconds.

Not waiting for her to attack first, he quickly yet effectively hurled the projectile at her, having to minimize his aiming time to a mere quickfire.

The shuriken knifed through the air before slicing through her jacket, cutting into her skin. Howling with pain, Ivy clutched her wounded shoulder, but kept a firm grasp on the whip.

Robin prepared to hurl another shuriken at her, but this time, Ivy struck first.

Just as his fingers closed around the projectile in his belt, Ivy reared the makeshift vine back with one hand before snapping it at him again, this time the vine wrapping around his knee. With a cry, Ivy yanked back, catching the Boy Wonder off balance, and thus off his feet.

With a thud, Robin fell back first on the concrete, his head banging off of the floor. That only made him even more groggy, which blurred his vision considerably. He could still feel his fingers wrapped around the the second shuriken, but everything else was dizzy and disorienting for him. He could barely make out Ivy, conspicuous by her appearance.

Speaking of, Ivy had took the time to examine her shoulder wound at the hands of the Boy Wonder, her eyes widening in anger as streaks of her chlorophyllic blood started appearing, dripping down her jacket. An almost animalistic snarl painted her now pale green face, livid at the sight of her own blood, a sign of her mortality.

Ivy turned back to him with a renewed intensity in her eyes, her usual promiscuous and alluring nature absent. Her eyes now studied him, almost like a predator stalking its prey, carefully pinpointing openings in the prey's body, before going on the hunt.

Unfortunately for him, Ivy didn't even give time to catch his breath, and went on the offensive.

Just as he started to pull himself back up with his elbows, Ivy lunged at him savagely, landing a brutal kick to the face to ensure that he would remain grounded. Blood spurted out of his mouth as her bare foot slammed into his mouth, creating the echo of flesh against flesh, or in this case, foot against face.

The kick created stars in the Boy Wonder's eyes, but that was only the beginning.

Landing on top of his body in a dominating position, Ivy quickly disarmed the Boy Wonder of the projectile, swiftly knocking the weapon out of his palm with her forearm before he could use it against her.

Pinning his arms to the floor with both knees, she straddled his body almost seductively, her body language playful but her eyes much more intense and vengeful. Letting her hair fall down her shoulders, she leered at Robin.

"I'm afraid dear, that this will hurt, quite a bit. But don't worry, what comes next, will be much worse," she sneered, playfully stroking his cheek.

In response, he spat out a mouthful of both blood and saliva right at her. Indignantly wiping the saliva off of her cheek, Ivy merely smirked at him, before cocking her fist above her head.

He attempted to put up a struggle, but she quickly put an end to his resiliency before it even began, launching it at his mouth, resulting in a cringe-worthy sound effect of her knuckles cracking against his teeth. The punch itself nearly knocked him out, her bony yet effective knuckles embedding themselves within his already bloodied mouth. But then again, he wasn't going to tell her that.

"Is that the best you've got Ivy?" he spat resiliency, his body perhaps broken but his spirit still intact.

"I'm afraid you can't handle what I've got, bird boy," she snarled ruthlessly, before landing another ruthless fist to his face. Laughing as he cried out in pain, she continued the assault on the Boy Wonder, smashing her fists and elbows into his face like it was Play-Doh, and laughing in the process.

Pummeling him with a series of punches and elbows, the vengeful villainess was relentless, near merciless in her execution, not wasting one moment between punches. Robin, on the other hand, would feel her cold fury firsthand, having to endure almost insurmountable pain at the hands of the plant queen.

Thanks to a savage elbow to the side of the face, he could feel his left eye start to close, almost swelling up.

His face was the proverbial punching bag, and it showed. After a succession after succession of punches, his face was riddled with bruises, cuts down his forehead, and a black eye protruding from his left eye. He cringed as he was forced to taste his own blood in his mouth, and his body subsequently convulsed everytime Ivy punched him.

He could feel his energy literally sapping from him with every punch, every elbow, every moment of her cruel laughter that echoed in his ears. It was humiliation beyond humiliation, and she enjoyed every moment of it.

Finally, Robin's struggles had been all but extinguished by the plant queen, whose face was now bloodied and bruised from her relentless assault. His left eye was swollen shut, and his arms were limp by his side, still pressed down by her knees.

"What's wrong Robin? No sly remarks? No witty comebacks? Did I knock your teeth out while I was at it?" she sneered viciously, pausing only to see him cough out blood instead of giving an audible answer.

Clearly satisfied with her work, Ivy sat up and wiped some blood off of her nose, before flashing a taunting grin to Robin.

After the brief period of respite, she wrapped her hands around his throat, her slender fingers closing around it firmly. With that, she began tightening her grip, effectively choking him.

Gagging, he tried to pry her arms off of him, but she remained persistent, her body still full of energy while his body was weary and clearly fatigued. Her hands wrapped around his throat, his eyes widened almost in fear as he felt the air around him becoming scarce, his mouth distorting accordingly. Her red lipstick curved into an almost vampiric grin as she sneered at the bloodied Boy Wonder, a taunting image that grated through his skin.

The fear of being strangled to death, or at least unconsciousness, seemed to inject some much needed adrenaline in the Boy Wonder, who was starting to struggle against her grip.

She merely clicked her lips together almost playfully as he began to come back to life with renewed energy.

"Now now, don't fight little birdy. It'll all be over soon enough," she cooed, before swiftly slapping his hands off of her arms before continuing to apply pressure to his throat, her hands returning literally seconds afterwards. Her fingernails were digging through his cape and her thumbs pressing down on his larynx, which only made it more difficult for him to breathe.

Now gasping for every wisp of precious oxygen, Robin was frantically racking his head for spare ideas, ranging from effective to completely nonsensical, anything to stop the sadistic siren from continuing to choke him.

Ivy had strategically positioned herself in a way that he couldn't headbutt her, and his arms were severely restricted by her forearms which stood in either side of her head.

He couldn't reach his signature shurikens at this range, or at least use them in a way that Ivy couldn't block in her dominant position. Besides that, his other gadgets were useless this close up to the femme fatale, unless…

Literally with no other visible option, he let his free arm slide ever so gently behind her back, making sure not to arouse any suspicion. Luckily, she didn't even notice it, as she was too busy laughing as she continued to strangle him.

"Come on little birdy, squeal for me! I want to hear you beg for mercy as I choke the life out of you," she sneered vindictively, thoroughly enjoying his resilient spirit fade second by second in her hands.

Blood now streaming down his lips, he finally felt his hand close around a particular pocket in his belt, and silently retrieved the gadget. Now retracting his arm as quietly as possible, he was starting to see his world darken, his eyes squinting just to maintain vision of the vindictive vixen.

"Don't worry love, we're almost done. After I'm finished with you, I'm going after your dear mentor, Batman. He too hurt my children, and must be punished for his sins. His death will usher in a new age in Gotham, a new era. My babies will seep into your steel cities and industrial factories, ripping them Gotham will be the first pillar forged in a new world order, with Mother Nature reclaiming her throne, and you meat-sacks, mere fertilizer to feed my next crop," she declared triumphantly, watching his eyes barely flicker open.

His vision fading fast, Robin barely managed to bring his arms back to his chest, finally revealing the gadget that now stood between him and Ivy.

It was a Snap-Flash.

Her eyes widened in fear, as he revealed the circular object in his palm, and a faint yet visible smile appeared on the youth's face. He had strategically covered his own face with his steel gauntlets just to make sure it didn't backfire on him, literally. Her hands almost instantly retracted to shield her exposed face, but Robin was quicker on the draw, revealing a trigger button on his other hand.

"Say cheese," he smiled, pressing the button.

"Aaarrrggghhh!" Ivy screamed wildly as the Snap-Flash detonated, the blinding light hitting her right between the eyes. Her body lurching backwards, she was mere seconds too late to shield her eyes from the blinding flash, and as a result, brought the Boy Wonder a few more moments of time as well as air.

Not waiting for Ivy to recover, Robin brought his legs up to his chest, and launched them at the reeling siren, his feet slamming into her stomach with renewed velocity.

Ivy's body crumbled unnaturally as she flew through the air before landing on the ground, her head cracking against the floor hard. She almost melted into the ground as she just barely managed to roll over on her stomach to absorb some of the momentum, a faint moaning emitting from her unmoving body.

Coughing up another glob of blood, Robin took advantage of his short-lived victory, rolling over on his sides and panting heavily. He greedily sucked in gallon after gallon of air, his face still damp with sweat from the altercation.

Sorely feeling the spot where Ivy's fingers had strangled him, he winced slightly as he pressed down on the narrow openings on his throatplate, no doubt caused by her sharp fingertips.

His vision returning, he also spotted his bo staff, which was still lying on the floor after he was disarmed by her.

Sighing with relief, he crawled towards it, firmly wrapping his fingers around the staff. Using it as a surrogate crutch, he leaned on the weapon as he clambered to his feet, his legs still a tad wobbly.

Still, aside from some initial stumbling, he was about to stand, and within seconds of doing so spotted the down-and-almost-out Ivy, who was starting to stir.

By the looks of it, any ounce of fight still left in her had been sucked out. She clutched her stomach sorely, a line of blood dripping from her mouth and onto the floor. Her flirty and seductive demeanor had completely vanished, replaced by a weak, almost vulnerable statue. Her pheromone-induced aura had also dissipated, a clear reminder of her own mortality.

Retracting his bo staff, he instead unveiled a pair of standard handcuffs, and started to stalk towards her. His face bloodied yet determined, he made sure to check his surroundings as he approached the battered villainess.

As if sensing his footsteps, Ivy merely rolled over on her back, her mouth bloody but a vindictive snarl still present. Her jacket was torn, and there were several cuts on her naked legs, chlorophyllic blood smeared against her thighs.

Yet despite her current health, she glared at him with the utmost of contempt.

Still, he hesitated for a brief moment, almost pitying the former botanist, who despite her extreme methods, was simply a victim of fate.

Finally, he leveled his bo staff at her throat, the very tip of his staff pressing down on her Adam's apple. She gulped uncomfortably as his staff drilled into her throat, but still flashed him a wide grin.

"Go ahead little Robin, finish me. Make the Bat proud. You know we'll grow back, we always do. And when we do, your precious Gotham will be the first pillar to fall in our new world order. And you meat-sacks will be the first to feel the wrath of Mother Nature," she declared defiantly, her head bloodied yet unbowed.

"It doesn't have to be this way, Ivy. At Blackgate, the doctors there can help you, help rehabilitate you even. It won't be easy, but with your cooperation they can help you find peace," he offered sympathetically.

"Hah! You're as deluded as Batman if you honestly think that I'll come willingly. No Robin, I'm afraid that my crusade will never over until you meat-sacks are extinct, and I'm afraid that you are simply an annoyance in my path, a minor inconvenience blocking my view of a better world," she laughed.

"It's over Ivy. And whether you like it or not, you are too," he told her plainly, brandishing the handcuffs.

"Are you really that arrogant love, to believe that you have won this war? Are you really that naive to cloud your mind with such a misguided sense of accomplishment?" she sneered defiantly.

Robin merely narrowed his eyes irritably at her, as she continued talking. Still, he couldn't help but feel a bit piqued by her cryptic words, almost like it was some subtle foreshadowing. But unbeknownst to him, she had her own ace in the whole in the form of a lone vine which quietly slithered out of the ground behind the oblivious Boy Wonder. It snaked across the ground stealthily, as Ivy briefly flickered her eyes towards it before returning them to Robin.

"What are you talking about? Case you haven't noticed Ivy, you don't have any more of your pawns to throw at me, no more tricks. Arkham City may be in your rear view mirror, but Blackgate is where you get off, for good" he stated firmly.

"No no, you see bird boy, we are all connected. The plants, they're everywhere. Beyond these walls, and underneath these floors, you may think that you've won, but you've only made us angrier. For every root that you sever, every plant that you kill, five more grow in its place. And not only do we multiply in number, we learn to adapt," she continued rather cryptically.

As the vine grew ever closer to the Boy Wonder, a small yet peculiar object slid down her jacket sleeve, right into her awaiting hand. As her silhouette leaned over slightly to the right, the object was fully revealed: a knife.

Small in stature, but just as dangerous as Ivy herself, the blade itself was two inches long, the standard length for an operating knife, but yet there was something about it. The tip of the blade itself was covered by a green liquid, a circular opening on the blade allowing for the liquid to stick.

Ivy cleverly hit the blade underneath her palm, instead trying to divert the Boy Wonder's attention rather then attack him head-on.

As she flashed a brief yet knowing smile to the unsuspecting Robin, he couldn't help but feel a tad suspicious by her cryptic words.

"What are you talking about?" he demanded, extending his bo staff all the way to her chin, expertly keeping the weapon trained at her throat should she try anything.

"Oh, is that skepticism I hear? _Tsk tsk_, I thought Batman taught you better than that. After all, we both know that this isn't over," she scolded playfully, laughing as Robin gritted his teeth, agitated.

"Look who's got a metal rod aimed at your throat," he pointed out, drilling the rod against her chin for emphasis.

Oblivious to him, the vine hastened the pace towards him, now only feet away from his unsuspecting body.

"For now. Mark my words bird boy, in mere minutes you will be cowering on the floor, begging for mercy. You should be lucky that I should be as lenient to spare your life," she smiled almost prophetically.

"Big talk for someone who just lost her army to a so-called meat-sack. Face reality Ivy, you're done and so is your little 'rebellion.' I'm taking you back to Blackgate, and there's nothing that you can do about it," he declared.

She merely laughed at his retort, brushing a strand of her fiery red hair back before replying.

"Me? Whoever said anything about me?" she purred innocently, her eyes briefly flickering behind him.

All too soon did it finally hit the Boy Wonder, whose eyes widened in sudden realization of Ivy's trap.

Twirling his body around with the speed and swiftness of a cat, he turned just in time to prevent the vine from attacking him, instead lunging forward and easily severing it with a well-placed slash right down the middle.

The vine flopped down to the ground, its threat neutralized within seconds. But in doing so, the Boy Wonder made himself vulnerable to Ivy's next move, and unbeknownst to him, his final downfall.

Turning around to face Ivy, he was suddenly greeted by a now standing Poison Ivy, who took advantage of the distraction her 'babies' had provided to unveil her own wild card: the knife.

Without hesitation, Ivy plunged the knife directly through one of the openings in his body armor caused by the vines, the blade penetrating his exposed skin.

Pain instantly blossoming in his torso, he shrieked in pain as the poison leaked into his bloodstream and began carrying out its mission, much to the plant queen's delight.

In a heroic final effort to stop the murderous siren, he raised his bo staff to end her tyranny, but alas, he was but mere seconds too late.

The pain had already circulated throughout his body, eventually reaching his arms. A blinding surge of agony began to overcome the Boy Wonder, who involuntarily dropped the bo staff, the signature weapon clanging to the floor emphatically.

The sadistic Ivy wrapped her arms around Robin's torso as he began convulsing violently, his arms swinging in every direction but forward and his legs trembling.

"_I win_," she told him simply, her face contorted into a truly sadistic smile only becoming of the plant queen.

Just as the immense surges of pain started to subside, another familiar sensation began festering: numbness.

He began losing feeling in his legs within the 30 second mark, the poison working its magic all too well. Panic began to sweep his body as he found himself unable to keep balance.

"Hush little Robin, don't say a word. Ivy's gonna kill the Bat for you," she sang in his ear, while laughing evilly as his legs began wobbling violently.

His knees the first to buckle, he soon found that the plan queen herself was the only thing holding him upright, her arms still wrapped around his waist. Even with his innate resilience, he soon found himself unable to combat the effects of the mysterious toxin, which had swept to every part of his body within seconds.

His boots sliding up and down the floor in an attempt to regain his balance, he found himself gazing almost pleadingly at Ivy, who merely smiled at him with a victorious glare in her eyes.

"What have you done to me?" he demanded, his voice starting to crack amidst the spikes of numbness felt in the lower halves of his body.

"Done to you? Poor little birdy, I've _helped_ you. Helped unlock your full potential. Within a matter of hours, Gotham will fall, and so will its 'Dark Knight.' A change is coming Robin, and you, you will be an agent of that change, my own knight in shining armor," she declared triumphantly, as his legs gave out on him.

Now losing feeling of his body below his waist, fear was absolutely prevalent in his eyes, as he was now undoubtedly vulnerable to her. He had only limited feeling in his arms, which themselves were beginning to feel limp. His fingers stretched out desperately for his utility belt, but his fingertips barely scratched the leather pockets.

"I want to hear you squeal, little Robin. Can you do that for me? Squeal for me," she cooed, before twisting the knife clockwise, causing him to shriek in agony.

The knife twisting through his abdomen, he tried to hold back the screams through gritted teeth a quickly deteriorating wall of resilience, but not even that could suppress it.

He soon found himself involuntarily screaming in agony, his shrieks being followed by Ivy's sinister laughter, as she mockingly rubbed the back of his head.

"You've fought bravely, my little hero, far braver than the Batman. But now, its time for you, like the rest of the meat, to accept your place, kneeling and praising her name as Mother Nature takes back what is rightfully hers," she smiled, continuing to press the blade into his flesh.

Within seconds, he had lost feeling in his arms, which limply hung by his side. His distorted face was now the only visible active part of his body.

As of feeling his energy seeping out of his limp body, the satisfied Poison Ivy grinned devilishly before pulling the blade out of his stomach, relishing in his anguished cries.

The blade tainted with blood, Robin crumpled as soon as she pulled the blade out of his chest armor, his body dropping lifelessly to the ground in front of her.

Few things had genuinely frightened the Boy Wonder in his storied career, but this certainly was in his Top 3: being completely vulnerable to the Master of Poison herself, and without use of any of his limbs. The statement spoke for itself.

Now lying in an uncompromising position, he found himself powerless from stopping the toxic temptress, a crude contrast to mere minutes ago. Now, he was the one on the ground, he was the one whose life literally depended on the mercy of his opponent.

Ivy tilted her head back and laughed triumphantly at her victory over the Boy Wonder and more importantly, the first step of a much larger plan. Placing her hands on her hips seductively, she circled around the now motionless Robin, gleefully relishing every moment of his captivity.

"I _did_ tell you that you would fall by my hand Robin, and here you are. Nothing more than a pathetic little child thinking that his tight spandex and cute little toys ever stood a chance against the full power of the natural world," she declared triumphantly.

He merely gritted his teeth at her resentfully.

"What did you do to me?" he instead demanded, still paralyzed.

"It's amazing how the poison dart frog, a small and seemingly insignificant creature in the grand scheme of things, is able to excrete a powerful neurotoxin, a potion, that if applied correctly, is able to paralyze its victim completely, shutting down its central nervous system and thus rendering it immobile. Of course, prolonged exposure to the neurotoxin can be quite deadly, lethal even, but lets not get into that," she started to explain, smiling as fear began flooding his eyes when she mentioned the word "lethal."

"Anyways, the natives of that region often used the poison dart frog as a weapon, using their naturally-synthesized toxins as a sort of dart gun, able to immobilize invaders within seconds of penetration. Of course, they could've just as easily shot them with arrows or tore through them with spears. But no, they wanted to savor it, enjoy watching their prey practically wet themselves with fear. Ironic, it would seem, that I share a lot in common with you humans," she smiled.

"You planning on lecturing me to death, Ivy, or is there a point to this?" he growled, despite his current predicament.

She continued circling around the paralyzed Boy Wonder, absolutely beaming over his frenzied attempts to regain feeling in his limbs.

"Would you believe that here, right in the midst of Arkham City, there lies a plant, a very rare plant mind you, with similar properties? Imagine my fortune when I just so innocently seemed to stumble upon my plant one day in this steel prison. The poor baby was nearly dead, choked by the pollution caused by you humans and nearly crushed by the metal infrastructure. But, upon retrieving it, I had nursed it back to normal, and within due time I began to reap the rewards of its harvest. The plant excreted a peculiar neurotoxin, the same one that you are now experiencing as it would seem. But unlike the deadly toxicity of the poison dart frog, its poison was nonlethal," she continued.

"But just as able to paralyze its victim within seconds of penetration?" Robin finished irritably.

"Well aren't you a little detective?" she confirmed happily.

"Now, I could go on and on, but I fear that the details may bore you, so I'll just skip to the fun part," she continued cheerfully.

"If you're going to kill me, kill me!" he said defiantly.

She laughed rather exotically, before tilting her head, her eyes almost studying him. Flashing him a reassuring smile, she dominantly planted her foot on his chest, causing him to squirm even more to break free of his numbness. Resting her elbow on her knee, she leaned towards him, her exotic hair flinging down to his shoulders.

"Kill you? Now why should I do that? No, you're going to help me Robin, help me take back what is so rightfully ours. The big bad Batman thinks that he can just waltz into our kingdom, and destroy us, destroy my children. _Destroy what belongs to me._" She breathed excitedly for a moment before continuing. "Well now, I have something that belongs to him."

"You can break my bones, cripple me, do whatever you want to me! But just know Ivy, that I'll never work with you!" he refused almost instantly, causing the plant queen to giggle.

"Such a pretty face," she mused, playfully stroking his cheek with her fingers, while causing him to cringe. Leaning in even closer, he could feel her pheromones starting to affect him again as she whispered into his ear.

"Silly bird, I only said that you would help me. I never said that it would be of your _own free will_," she purred evilly, before abruptly standing back up. She flashed him a knowing smile before turning on her heel and walking away.

"He's all yours, my darlings!" she called out behind her.

Almost instantly, a plethora of tree roots burst from the ground, but this time they found no resistance from the Boy Wonder. Curling around his legs first, they easily bound his legs together, before creeping up his torso. His panic turning to adrenaline, he watched in horror as the roots continued to wrap around his torso, his greatest effort only resulting in a brief stirring in his arms.

He could only gaze resentfully at the victorious plant queen as she walked away seductively, her exotic laughter echoing throughout the hotel lobby.

The roots reaching towards his arms, he knew that his efforts, resilient as they may be, were ultimately futile. He was only exhausting his self out, and he had a feeling that he would need his energy later on.

And with a deep breath, he resigned to his fate, letting the roots maneuver around his torso before encasing them in a brown cocoon, his head now the only visible part of his body. He could feel the first roots starting to trickle up his chin. He turned his head towards Ivy, who was still walking away, and to almost cement his refusal to submit willingly to the plant queen, called out after her.

"He'll stop you Ivy!" Robin called out, causing Ivy to stop in her tracks. She merely smirked to herself before turning back to Robin, who was nearly covered by the roots.

"Darling, if I could defeat his little errand boy with ease, what makes you think the Batman poses a threat to me?" she asked softly.

"Because he beat you last time! And he'll do it again!" Robin reminded her, causing her to narrow her eyes at him irritably.

"Yes, but that's the thing about us plants. We learn to adapt, to survive. And if the big bad Batman decides to reclaim his stolen property, well, I might just have a gadget of my own," she declared, brandishing the knife. Satisfied, she started to turn away again.

Defiant even in defeat, Robin continued to call after her.

"Yeah, well what if that doesn't work against him?" he pointed out, causing her to stop yet again. Now, she twirled back towards him, and tilted her head curiously, almost studying the Boy Wonder.

Finally, her eyes seemed to light up with an idea, an epiphany.

"Well, that's why I have you, Robin," she smiled, causing Robin to widen his eyes in fear of what her implication truly meant.

But before he could argue any more, the roots clamped over his mouth, before continuing to circle around his face. His muffled voice barely managed to escape the wood. It was almost like a mummification, the roots wrapping around his prone body, encasing him in a tomb of brown.

Unable to turn his head, he found himself staring at the victorious vixen as she came to a complete stop right in front of him, a triumphant grin on her face.

"You're ours now Robin, and there's nothing that Batman can do about it!" she declared, her face absolutely beaming with triumph.

With that emphatic statement, the roots finished wrapping around his head, rendering him a mummy.

Her sinister laughter echoing throughout his head, the last thing that the Boy Wonder ever saw was the haunting image of Poison Ivy leering over his prone body as his world faded to black.

* * *

**So yeah, that's my second installment of the series, "Seeds of Arkham." I hope you enjoyed it, and if so, please leave me a review/favorite/whatever you like. I always welcome feedback, especially criticisms so feel free to critique this anyway you like. Personally, I consider this chapter to be a lot better than the first one, "The Plant Queen." I thought it was a lot more up-close-and personal rather than just having Ivy send down her plants from her throne. The main reason for this title was simple, this is the catalyst for something much bigger. And since Ivy was beaten pretty soundly last time, I had to try to build her up as a credible foe to Batman by having her take down Robin. Plus, it gives Ivy a sort of personal edge, now having Batman's protege under her wing. Since I now have (somewhat) of a plan going forward, I'm trying to make all my additions cohesive, so I'll heavily edit "The Plant Queen" as soon as I get the chance. Besides that, I'm going to put Ivy on the shelf for now on, at least since the fifth or sixth chapter since I want to develop more villains. In light of this, Bane will be the next "big bad" for the next chapter, and I'm still thinking of someone else for Chapter 4 and 5. It will be Bane vs Batman, so right now I'm researching the various comics he's been in like Knightfall for structuring their fight. If you like, you can give me ideas on who you might want as the villain of the chapter after Bane, and I promise I'll reply to you! It could even be villains that haven't been seen in the Arkham-Verse yet. Otherwise than that, I hope you are enjoying this series so far, and I apologize greatly for my VERY long writing. I'm kind of a compulsive writer, you know, I write what comes to mind and tend to bloat it with a lot of metaphors and whatnot. You guys are the real heroes for getting through my stories! So, I guess keep supporting me when Batman Arkham City: Reconstruction returns in "Unstoppable."**


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